US: USDA announces financial relief for drought-stricken Louisiana crawfish producers

Frozen Crayfish

Seafood

United States

Subsidies

Climate/Environment

Published May 15, 2024

Tridge summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) has extended its Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) to include crawfish producers in Louisiana, who have been impacted by drought conditions following extreme weather last year. This extension comes after the potential loss of nearly $140 million from the industry and requests for federal assistance from U.S. representatives. Affected crawfish businesses can now apply for ELAP funding, and the SBA has also announced low-interest federal disaster loans for eligible businesses.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Louisiana crawfish producers suffering from drought conditions now have access to emergency financial relief, following requests from state officials and representatives for federal action.Last year was a difficult one for Southern crawfish producers, with extreme heat and a subsequent freeze causing a sudden decrease in crawfish production. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential losses from the extreme weather to be nearly USD 140 million [EUR 130 million].In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’ (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has made changes to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), opening the program to crawfish producers impacted by the extreme heat conditions last year.“When we make farm policy decisions, we recognize that not all agricultural commodities are grown or raised the same or fit in nice, neat categories as it relates to how we deliver our programs. Such is the case ...

Source: Seafoodsource