(a) Livestock indemnity payments.—Section 1501(b) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(b)) is amended—
(1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
“(2) PAYMENT RATES.—
“(A) LOSSES DUE TO PREDATION.—Indemnity payments to an eligible producer on a farm under paragraph (1)(A) shall be made at a rate of 100 percent of the market value of the affected livestock on the applicable date, as determined by the Secretary.
“(B) LOSSES DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER OR DISEASE.—Indemnity payments to an eligible producer on a farm under subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (1) shall be made at a rate of 75 percent of the market value of the affected livestock on the applicable date, as determined by the Secretary.
“(C) DETERMINATION OF MARKET VALUE.—In determining the market value described in subparagraphs (A) and (B), the Secretary may consider the ability of eligible producers to document regional price premiums for affected livestock that exceed the national average market price for those livestock.
“(D) APPLICABLE DATE DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘applicable date’ means, with respect to livestock, as applicable—
“(i) the day before the date of death of the livestock; or
“(ii) the day before the date of the event that caused the harm to the livestock that resulted in a reduced sale price.”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(5) ADDITIONAL PAYMENT FOR UNBORN LIVESTOCK.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of unborn livestock death losses incurred on or after January 1, 2024, the Secretary shall make an additional payment to eligible producers on farms that have incurred such losses in excess of the normal mortality due to a condition specified in paragraph (1).
“(B) PAYMENT RATE.—Additional payments under subparagraph (A) shall be made at a rate—
“(i) determined by the Secretary; and
“(ii) less than or equal to 85 percent of the payment rate established with respect to the lowest weight class of the livestock, as determined by the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency.
“(C) PAYMENT AMOUNT.—The amount of a payment to an eligible producer that has incurred unborn livestock death losses shall be equal to the payment rate determined under subparagraph (B) multiplied, in the case of livestock described in—
“(i) subparagraph (A), (B), or (F) of subsection (a)(4), by 1;
“(ii) subparagraph (D) of such subsection, by 2;
“(iii) subparagraph (E) of such subsection, by 12; and
“(iv) subparagraph (G) of such subsection, by the average number of birthed animals (for one gestation cycle) for the species of each such livestock, as determined by the Secretary.
“(D) UNBORN LIVESTOCK DEATH LOSSES DEFINED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘unborn livestock death losses’ means losses of any livestock described in subparagraph (A), (B), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of subsection (a)(4) that was gestating on the date of the death of the livestock.”.
(b) Livestock forage disaster program.—Section 1501(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(c)(3)(D)(ii)(I)) is amended—
(1) by striking “1 monthly payment” and inserting “2 monthly payments”; and
(2) by striking “county for at least 8 consecutive” and inserting the following: "county for not less than—
“(aa) 4 consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period for the county, as determined by the Secretary, shall be eligible to receive assistance under this paragraph in an amount equal to 1 monthly payment using the monthly payment rate determined under subparagraph (B); or
“(bb) 7 of the previous 8 consecutive”.
(c) Emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1501(d) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(5) ASSISTANCE FOR LOSSES DUE TO BIRD DEPREDATION.—
“(A) DEFINITION OF FARM-RAISED FISH.—In this paragraph, the term ‘farm-raised fish’ means fish propagated and reared in a controlled fresh water environment.
“(B) PAYMENTS.—Eligible producers of farm-raised fish, including fish grown as food for human consumption, shall be eligible to receive payments under this subsection to aid in the reduction of losses due to piscivorous birds.
“(C) PAYMENT RATE.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—The payment rate for payments under subparagraph (B) shall be determined by the Secretary, taking into account—
“(I) costs associated with the deterrence of piscivorous birds;
“(II) the value of lost fish and revenue due to bird depredation; and
“(III) costs associated with disease loss from bird depredation.
“(ii) MINIMUM RATE.—The payment rate for payments under subparagraph (B) shall be not less than $600 per acre of farm-raised fish.
“(D) PAYMENT AMOUNT.—The amount of a payment under subparagraph (B) shall be the product obtained by multiplying—
“(i) the applicable payment rate under subparagraph (C); and
“(ii) 85 percent of the total number of acres of farm-raised fish farms that the eligible producer has in production for the calendar year.”.
(2) EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR HONEYBEES.—In determining honeybee colony losses eligible for assistance under section 1501(d) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(d)), the Secretary shall utilize a normal mortality rate of 15 percent.
[1]Not found in US Code, apparently a direction to the Secretary.
(d) Tree assistance program.—Section 1501(e) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081(e)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking “15 percent (adjusted for normal mortality)” and inserting “normal mortality”; and
(2) in paragraph (3)—
(A) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking “15 percent mortality (adjusted for normal mortality)” and inserting “normal mortality”; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)—
(i) by striking “50” and inserting “65”; and
(ii) by striking “15 percent damage or mortality (adjusted for normal tree damage and mortality)” and inserting “normal tree damage or mortality”.
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