CRAWDAD Act
The CRAWDAD Act (Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters and Droughts Act) would broaden and tighten drought-related disaster relief under the Agricultural Act of 2014. It explicitly adds drought as a qualifying adverse weather event for programs that aid livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish, and it creates a new eligibility pathway for farm-raised fish losses—specifically crawfish—caused by adverse weather or drought. The bill also requires the Agriculture Secretary to establish documented standards for data collection, crawfish production, and loss conditions related to drought. Additionally, the bill expands the definition of “livestock” eligible for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program to include both weaned and unweaned animals. Taken together, the bill aims to improve and formalize drought-related disaster assistance for livestock, farm-raised fish (especially crawfish), and related sectors.
Key Points
- 1Clarifies drought as an eligible adverse weather condition for emergency assistance programs for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish (ELAP), expanding existing categories beyond disease and other weather events.
- 2Adds losses of crawfish harvests due to adverse weather or drought to allowable assistance under the emergency program.
- 3Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with eligible farm-raised fish producers, to establish documentation standards covering data collection, crawfish production related to harvest reductions, and defining loss conditions due to drought.
- 4Expands the Livestock Forage Disaster Program criteria by broadening the definition of “livestock” to include both weaned and unweaned animals.
- 5Maintains a focus on improving drought-related disaster relief for farming sectors that rely on weather-sensitive outputs (livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish).