Congressman Cohen Introduces the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act
Encourages preparedness to prevent injury and death as a precondition for federal reimbursement for losses
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a longtime member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, today introduced the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act. The legislation would institute commonsense reforms aimed at mitigating losses and promoting fiscal responsibility by ensuring that recipients of payments under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Indemnity and Emergency Loan Programs have disaster preparedness plans in place.
The measure is cosponsored by Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Congressman Andre Carson of Indiana, Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, and Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“Millions of farm animals die each year during extreme weather events and natural disasters, costing taxpayers millions in indemnity payments to producers for their losses. Our bill simply requires producers to have plans in place to mitigate those disasters and the effects they have on their livestock. It is a prudent remedy to a solvable problem, and ultimately will save animal lives. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
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