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Proposed HEROES Act includes dollars for livestock disposal, CCC, direct payments

The House’s latest coronavirus relief package would include direct payments to farmers and would help pay for euthanizing animals. 

The HEROES Act would set aside 10 billion to pay livestock producers for disposal of market-ready animals at a rate of 80% of the value during the first 30 days of losses, with values dropping 10% every 30 days.  Packer-owned animals are not eligible.  The bill would also make more than 16 billion in direct payments to farmers, fund a dairy donation program, and modify the Dairy Margin Coverage program.

The Congressional Budget Office scored the one-point-five trillion-dollar HEROES Act and estimated the bill would spend more than 52 billion dollars on food and agriculture in the next five years.  That includes a billion each on dairy and livestock, 19 billion on specialty crops and other commodities, and add five billion to the Commodity Credit Corporation’s spending authority.  Nutrition programs would spend more than 24 billion dollars for food assistance.

Some Senators are opposed to the bill as written.