The American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) filed comments to the USDA to request additional coverage on sheep not included in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).
ASI President Benny Cox requested replacement and slaughter ewes be covered under the program. “The American sheep industry appreciates the inclusion of lambs and yearlings (2 years and younger) and wool as eligible commodities under CFAP,” Cox wrote.
“However, sheep producers have also experienced COVID-19-induced losses of more than 5 percent for both replacement ewes and slaughter ewes during the mid-January to mid-April 2020 period.”
The comments also addressed concerns regarding the lambs/yearlings and wool covered under CFAP.
“While recognizing the limitations of the program, the one-quarter of production from mid-January to mid-April does not accurately capture the full extent of the COVID-19 price declines and resulting impact on producer losses,” Cox said.
He also noted the production time period does not align with the shearing season, and many producers were ineligible to apply for assistance using their 2020 wool inventory.
