Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, Farm-Raised Fish Program

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP)  

This program may have additional incentives or benefits for those who are underserved. Learn more about our terminology.

 

What is this program?

This program provides payments to producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish to cover losses due to eligible disease, certain adverse weather events, or loss conditions as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

 

How can I use this program?

ELAP payments can be used to cover costs related to the following:

• Honeybee feed, colony, and hive losses
• Farm-raised fish death and feed losses
• The costs of hauling water to livestock due to an eligible drought
• Livestock feed and grazing losses that are not due to drought or wildfires on federally managed lands
• The cost of gathering livestock to inspect and treat them for cattle tick fever
• The costs related to gathering livestock to inspect for and treat cattle tick fever
• Covering above normal costs of hauling feed to livestock and hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres due to eligible drought
• An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought. For help, see this demonstration video.

 

Who or what is eligible and what are the eligibility requirements?

A person or legal entity with an adjusted gross income (AGI) that exceeds $900,000 is not eligible to receive ELAP payments.

For additional information regarding eligibility requirements, visit your local FSA Service Center.

 

Are there any deadlines?

These are the final dates to file a notice of loss:

• For honeybee losses, 15 days after loss is apparent
• For livestock and farm-raised fish losses, 30 days after loss is apparent

The final date to submit an application for payment is January 30^th after the program year in which the loss occurred. For example, the deadline to request ELAP assistance for 2023 calendar year losses will be January 30, 2024.

 

Is there anything else I should know?

 An eligible livestock, honeybee or farm-raised fish producer who certifies they are socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, or a veteran farmer or rancher will receive 90 percent of the payment rate for the losses under ELAP

 

How do I apply?

Producers can apply to receive ELAP assistance at the local FSA service center that maintains the farm records for their business.

 

 

 

Page last updated: May 2, 2023