Module 3: Get Assistance for Losses
Module 3
Overview
Module 3 is an interview by Dr. John Herrmann, an Illinois category II USDA accredited veterinarian with Dr. Abigail Mathewson the USDA Veterinary Services Emergency Coordinator for Illinois and Wisconsin. As Dr. Mathewson answers Dr. Herrmann’s questions, she provides an overview of some of the federal resources available to assist producers impacted by an FAD. This discussion explores the roles of responsibilities of the USDA personnel involved in FAD response at a producer’s operation and gives insight into the steps producers should take to be eligible for federal financial assistance before, during, and after the FAD response.
Take Away
The take home message of this module is that there is federal financial help available for producers whose farm has been impacted by a Foreign Animal Disease. Depending upon the size of the impacted herd or flock USDA personnel including a case manager, site manager, and field reimbursement specialist may be assigned to coordinate and oversee site biosecurity, depopulation, disposal, virus elimination, environmental sampling, indemnity and compensation. Indemnity and compensation programs are not designed to fully compensate producers’ losses due to a FAD but take a cost-share approach to facilitate business continuity and resilience in the face of an outbreak. Two important components of the federal financial assistance programs include animal appraisal to determine indemnity rates and costs associated with cleaning and disinfection. Record keeping and maintaining adequate biosecurity standards are important responsibilities of the impacted producer seeking to quality for federal financial assistance.
Stay tuned for Module 4, which is a step-by-step biosecurity plan for your client’s small to mid-sized livestock or poultry operation.
Resources
Shared links available as of 7/31/25
Producer Indemnity and Compensation
Animal Appraisal and Valuation
Hiring an Appraiser
- List of third-party appraisers (Excel document)
- Appraisal Standards
Data Needs and Other Requirements When Applying for Federal Assistance
Recent Updates: APHIS Announces Updates to Indemnity Program for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on Poultry Farms
Under the interim final rule, if a commercial poultry farm affected by HPAI wants to restock their poultry and be eligible for future indemnity on that restock, the premises will be required to pass a biosecurity audit by APHIS before restocking. APHIS will also require a biosecurity audit for commercial poultry premises within the “buffer zone” (minimal 7 km radius around the infected zone) prior to movement of poultry onto the premises if the owner wishes to be eligible for future indemnity for the poultry moved onto the premises. Additionally, APHIS will not pay indemnity for flocks moved onto premises in active infected zones if the flocks become infected with HPAI within 14 days following the dissolution of the control area around an active infected premises. A producer who does not make corrections recommended in APHIS’s biosecurity audit will not be eligible for indemnity payments if the premises experiences future infections within the same outbreak.
Biosecurity Audits (more on this in Module 4)
- Checklist for Biosecurity Auditing pdf document
- HPAI Response pdf document
- Biosecurity Assessments pdf document
USDA Farm Service Agency Assistance Programs
Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)
- LIP for deaths in excess of normal mortality caused by adverse weather or by attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the Federal Government.
- LIP Fact Sheet
- LIP Decision Tool
Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP)
Financial aid to producers who suffer losses from specific adverse conditions not covered by other USDA disaster assistance programs. This includes losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events, and other qualifying conditions affecting livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish.
Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish
