Sponsors (2)
The bill gives livestock producers a new, administrable indemnity for unborn-animal losses and clearer payment formulas to reduce farm risk, but it raises potential federal costs and still risks undercompensation or variable rates set by agency discretion.
Livestock producers receive indemnity payments when unborn animals are lost from covered causes, reducing direct financial losses to farms.
Livestock producers can rely on a defined payment formula and species multipliers (e.g., a swine multiplier) that make compensation levels more predictable and help with risk management and planning.
Livestock producers (and claimants generally) benefit from administration through the existing FSA structure, which should allow quicker implementation and faster claims processing.
Livestock producers may be undercompensated because payments are capped at no more than 85% of the lowest weight-class rate, which can leave high‑value or large-scale losses inadequately covered.
Taxpayers could face higher federal outlays if addition of these indemnity payments increases USDA program costs.
Livestock producers may face inconsistent or uneven compensation because the Secretary has discretion to set rates and average birthed‑animal multipliers, which can create regional or species disparities and perceptions of unfairness.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds indemnity payments for unborn (gestating) livestock losses, with species-specific multipliers and a payment rate cap of 85% of the lowest weight-class rate.
Creates a new Livestock Indemnity Program payment for producers who lose unborn (gestating) livestock due to covered causes. The Department of Agriculture (through the FSA Administrator) will pay eligible producers for unborn livestock death losses occurring on or after January 1, 2024, using species-specific multipliers and a payment rate capped at 85% of the lowest weight-class payment rate. The law defines which animals are covered, sets multiplier factors for different species (for example, 1 for cattle and horses, 12 for swine), and directs the Secretary to determine payment rates and average birthed-animal counts for other species.
Official title: Amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to establish additional payments for unborn livestock under the livestock indemnity payment program.
Introduced May 15, 2025 by Rafael Edward Cruz · Last progress May 15, 2025