NCBA welcomes new coronavirus relief measures for US cattle producers
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) welcomes new details of the CFAP programme that aim to help cattle producers, but stress that more needs to be done to protect family-owned cow-calf and stocker operations.
20 May 2020
2 minute read
NCBA President Marty Smith today joined President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue at a White House ceremony to unveil new details about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Programme (CFAP). NCBA was instrumental in securing authorisation and funding for the CFAP programme, which will provide much-needed relief to American cattle producers who have been economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“America’s cattle producers have been hit very hard economically by this pandemic, so we’re pleased that this relief is one step closer to reaching the producers who need it,” Smith said. “Still, this is just one step and much more needs to be done to address the needs facing family cow-calf producers and stockers in the CFAP details that were released on 19 May. We will continue to push Capitol Hill for additional resources for cow-calf producers, backgrounders, and all other segments of the industry who may not sufficiently benefit from the program in its current form.”
President Trump announced that beginning on Tuesday, 26 May, local Farm Service Agency offices will begin accepting applications for CFAP funds, which the Administration hopes to begin rolling out to producers the following week. More information about the application process will be available on the CFAP website.
USDA announced the CFAP programme on 17 April. The programme will use funding provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and other USDA authorities. $19 billion in immediate relief includes direct support to agricultural producers.
