To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to establish additional payments for unborn livestock under the livestock indemnity payment program.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill expands the federal Livestock Indemnity Payment program to cover losses of unborn animals (animals that were still gestating when their mother died). Previously, farmers could only receive disaster payments for livestock that had already been born. Now, if a farmer's pregnant livestock die due to eligible disasters (such as extreme weather, disease outbreaks, or attacks by animals protected under federal law), they can receive additional compensation for the unborn animals as well.
Who Benefits and How
Livestock farmers and ranchers are the primary beneficiaries. Specifically, farmers who raise cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, and other livestock will now receive additional payments when pregnant animals die due to qualifying disasters. The payment rate can be up to 85% of the rate for the lowest weight class of that animal type. Different livestock species receive different multipliers based on typical litter sizes - for example, swine (which typically have larger litters) receive a 12x multiplier, while cattle and sheep receive a 1x multiplier.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer these new payments, requiring additional administrative work and budget allocation. Ultimately, federal taxpayers fund the Livestock Indemnity Program, so the expanded coverage means potentially higher program costs.
Key Provisions
- Creates a new category of payments specifically for unborn livestock death losses
- Applies to losses occurring on or after January 1, 2024
- Caps payment rates at 85% of the established rate for the lowest weight class of each livestock type
- Uses multipliers based on species: 1x for cattle, sheep, and horses; 2x for goats; 12x for swine; and a variable rate for other animals based on average litter size
- Defines "unborn livestock death losses" as losses of animals that were gestating (in the womb) at the time of the livestock's death
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to introduce additional payments for unborn livestock under the Livestock Indemnity Payment Program, aiming to support farmers facing losses due to abnormal mortality rates.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture
Primary Purpose
The bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to introduce additional payments for unborn livestock under the Livestock Indemnity Payment Program, aiming to support farmers facing losses due to abnormal mortality rates.
Policy Domains
Sponsors
Ted Cruz
R-TX | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Cruz (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Eligible producers on farms with unborn livestock death losses exceeding normal mortality rates
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The bill is officially named as the Livestock Indemnity Program Enhancement Act of 2025, often referred to as the LIP Enhancement Act.
This section introduces an additional payment scheme for farmers who experience losses of unborn livestock due to abnormal mortality rates. The payments are calculated based on the weight class and species of the livestock, with specific multipliers applied.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology