DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Livestock Indemnity Program

Overview

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) 

authorized the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) to provide benefits 

to eligible livestock owners or contract growers for livestock deaths 

in excess of normal mortality caused by eligible loss conditions, 

including eligible adverse weather, eligible disease and attacks by 

animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or 

protected by federal law, including wolves and avian predators. In 

addition, LIP provides assistance to eligible livestock owners that 

must sell livestock at a reduced price because of an injury from an 

eligible loss condition.

LIP is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

Farm Service Agency (FSA). The occurrence of an eligible loss 

condition in and by itself - does not determine eligibility for eligible 

livestock losses. The livestock owner or contract grower must 

provide evidence acceptable to FSA that the eligible cause of loss not 

only occurred but directly caused loss or death.

LIP payments for owners are based on national payment rates 

that are 75 percent of the market value of the applicable livestock 

as determined by the USDA’s Secretary of Agriculture. Rates for 

contract growers of poultry or swine will not exceed the rates for 

owners but are based on 75 percent of national average input costs 

for the applicable livestock.

The 2018 Farm Bill amended certain provisions related to LIP 

effective in 2019. Those amendments included:

• livestock death losses due to extreme cold are considered 

eligible losses without regard to vaccination protocol, or lack of 

vaccination; and

• providing for compensation for livestock death losses due to 

diseases that are caused or transmitted by a vector and are not 

controlled by vaccination or an acceptable management practice. 

These diseases were previously covered under ELAP.

Eligible Livestock Owners

To be eligible for LIP:

• A livestock owner must have legally owned the livestock on the 

day the livestock died and/or were injured by an eligible loss 

condition

• An owner’s livestock must have either:

• died in excess of normal mortality 

as a direct result of an eligible loss 

condition, 

• or been injured as a direct result of 

an eligible loss condition and were 

sold at a reduced price.

Eligible livestock must:

• Have been maintained for commercial 

use for livestock sale as part of a 

farming operation on the day they died; 

and

• Not have been produced or maintained 

for reasons other than commercial use 

as part of a farming operation. Excluded 

livestock includes wild free-roaming 

animals, horses or other animals used 

or intended for racing or wagering, 

consumption by owner, and animals 

producers or maintained for hunting.

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov
The following types of livestock may be eligible for LIP:

CATTLE POULTRY SWINE OTHER

Adult Beef Bulls

Adult Beef Cows

Adult Buffalo/Bison/Water 

Buffalo Bulls

Adult Beefalo Bulls

Adult Beefalo Cows

Adult Buffalo/Bison/Water 

Buffalo Cows

Adult Dairy Bulls

Adult Dairy Cows Non-Adult 

Beef Cattle

Non-Adult Buffalo/Bison/

Water Buffalo 

Non-Adult Beefalo

Non-Adult Dairy Cattle

Chickens, Broilers, Pullets 

(regular size) (4.26 to 6.25 pounds)

Chickens, Chicks Chickens, Layers

Chickens, Pullets/Cornish Hens (small 

size) (Less than 4.26 pounds)

Roasters (6.26 to 7.75 pounds)

Super Roasters/Parts 

(7.76 pounds or more)

Ducks, Ducklings 

Ducks, Ducks

Geese, Goslings 

Geese, Goose

Turkeys, Poults

Turkeys, Toms, Fryers, Roasters

Suckling/Nursery Pigs (less 

than 50 pounds)

Swine, Lightweight 

Barrows, Gilts 

(50 to 150 pounds)

Swine, Sows, Boars,

Barrows, Gilts 

(151 to 450 pounds)

Swine, Sows, Boars (over 

450 pounds)

Alpacas 

Deer 

Elk 

Emus 

Equine

Goats, Bucks Goats, Nannies

Goats, Slaughter Goats/Kids

Llamas

Ostriches 

Reindeer 

Caribou 

Sheep, Rams 

Sheep, Ewes 

Sheep, Lambs

Eligible Livestock Contract Growers 

(Poultry and Swine)

Poultry and swine are the only kinds of livestock for 

which contract growers can be eligible under LIP.

To be eligible for LIP, in addition to meeting all other 

eligibility requirements for loss, a poultry or swine 

contract grower must have had the following:

• Possession and control of the eligible livestock; and

• A written agreement with the eligible livestock 

owner setting the specific terms, conditions and 

obligations of the parties involved regarding the 

production of livestock.

Contract growers are not eligible for losses under LIP 

for injured livestock that were sold at a reduced price 

due to an eligible loss condition.

Eligible Loss Conditions

An eligible loss condition includes any of the following 

that occur in the calendar year for which benefits are 

requested:

• Eligible adverse weather event;

• Eligible disease; and

• Eligible attack.

Eligible adverse weather event means extreme or 

abnormal damaging weather that is not expected to 

occur during the loss period for which it occurred, 

which directly results in eligible livestock losses. 

An eligible adverse weather event must occur in the 

calendar year for which benefits are requested. Eligible 

adverse weather events include, but are not limited 

to, as determined by the FSA Deputy Administrator of 

Farm Programs or designee, earthquake; hail; lightning; 

tornado; tropical storm; typhoon; vog, if directly related 

to a volcanic eruption; winter storm, if the winter storm 

lasts for three consecutive days and is accompanied 

by high winds, freezing rain or sleet, heavy snowfall 

and extremely cold temperatures; hurricanes; floods; 

blizzards; wildfires; extreme heat; extreme cold; and 

straight-line winds. Drought is not an eligible adverse 

weather event except when associated with anthrax, a 

condition that occurs because of drought and results in 

the death of eligible livestock.

Eligible disease means a disease that is exacerbated by 

an eligible adverse weather event that directly results 

in eligible livestock losses, including, but not limited to, 

anthrax, cyanobacteria, (beginning in 2015 calendar 

year), larkspur poisoning (beginning in

2015 calendar year) and Mycoplasma Bovis in Bison 

(beginning in 2021). In addition, eligible disease means 

a disease that is caused and/or transmitted by vectors 

and vaccination or acceptable management practices 

are not available, whether or not they were or were not 

implemented, that directly result in death of eligible 

livestock in excess of normal mortality, including but 

not limited to Blue Tongue, EHD,CVV, and Theileria 

Orentalis.

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 2
Eligible attack means an attack by animals reintroduced 

into the wild by the Federal Government or protected 

by Federal law, including wolves and avian predators, 

that directly results in either injured livestock sold at a 

reduced price or death of eligible livestock, in excess of 

normal mortality.

Payments

Livestock Death Losses

LIP payments for livestock death losses, adjusted for 

normal mortality, are calculated by multiplying the national 

payment rate for the applicable livestock category by the 

number of eligible livestock in that category times the 

producer’s share. Current year national payment rates are 

found at the end of this fact sheet.

The LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock 

owners is based on 75 percent of the average fair 

market value of the livestock, as provided in Table 1.

The LIP national payment rate for eligible livestock 

contract growers is based on 75 percent of the average 

income loss sustained by the contract grower with 

respect to the dead livestock, as provided in Table 2.

A contract grower’s LIP payment will be reduced by the 

amount of monetary compensation received from the 

owner for the loss of income suffered from the death of 

livestock under contract.

Injured Livestock 

For eligible livestock owners, LIP payments for injured 

livestock that are sold at a reduced price due to an 

eligible adverse weather event or eligible attack are 

calculated by multiplying the national payment rate for 

the applicable livestock category minus the amount that 

the livestock owner received for the eligible livestock 

in that category times the livestock owner’s share. If 

injured eligible livestock are sold for more than the 

national payment rate for the applicable livestock 

category, there is no payment.

Payment Limitations and Adjusted 

Gross Income (AGI)

For the 2017 and subsequent program years, there is 

no per person or legal entity program year payment 

limitation.

In evaluating average adjusted gross income, an individual 

or entity is ineligible for payment under LIP if the average 

AGI of the individual or entity exceeds $900,000.

Direct attribution provisions apply to LIP. Under direct 

attribution, AGI provisions apply to the person or legal 

entity applying for payment as well as to those persons 

or legal entities with an interest in the legal entity or in 

a sub-entity.

For more information on payment limitations, visit 

www.fsa.usda.gov/limits.

Applying for LIP

Owners or contract growers may apply to receive LIP 

benefits at local FSA offices.

Owners or contract growers who suffer livestock losses 

due to an eligible cause of loss must submit a notice 

of loss and an application for payment to the local FSA 

office that serves the physical location county where the 

livestock losses occurred. All of the owner’s or contract 

grower’s interest in inventory of eligible livestock in that 

county for the calendar year must be accounted for and 

summarized when determining eligibility.

For 2023 and subsequent years, an owner or contract 

grower must file a notice of loss as well as file an 

application for payment within 60 calendar days after 

the end of the calendar year in which the eligible loss 

condition occurred.

For 2023 LIP losses, livestock owners and contract 

growers may apply for 2023 LIP benefits in the physical 

location county where the loss occurred.

The following table provides the final dates to file a 

notice of loss and application for payment:

DATE OF LIVESTOCK DEATH 

AND/OR INJURY

FINAL DATE TO 

FILE NOTICE OF 

LOSS

FINAL DATE 

TO SUBMIT AN 

APPLICATION 

FOR PAYMENT

Calendar years 

2019 through 2022

by 30 calendar 

days of when 

the loss is first 

apparent to the 

participant. 

60 days after the 

calendar year in 

which the eligible 

loss condition 

occurred

Calendar year 

2023 and all subsequent years

60 days after the 

calendar year in 

which the eligible 

loss condition 

occurred

60 days after the 

calendar year in 

which the eligible 

loss condition 

occurred

Applications from eligible livestock owners for losses due 

to livestock injured due to an eligible loss condition will 

be processed and acted on as specified in this fact sheet.

Contract growers of poultry or swine must submit a 

copy of the grower contract and any other supporting 

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 3
documents required for determining eligibility. Similar 

to requirements for owners, supporting documents 

must show evidence of loss, current physical location of 

livestock in inventory and location of the livestock at the 

time of death.

Livestock Loss Documentation

Livestock owners and contract growers must record all 

pertinent information (including the number and kind) 

of all livestock and those adversely impacted by an 

eligible loss condition resulting in either death losses or 

injury and sales of injured livestock at reduced price. 

Owners who sold injured livestock for a reduced price 

because the livestock were injured due to an eligible 

adverse weather event or eligible attack, must provide 

verifiable evidence of the reduced sale of the livestock. 

The injured livestock must be sold to an independent 

third party (such as sale barn, slaughter facility, or 

rendering facility). 

Documents that may provide verifiable evidence of 

livestock sold at a reduced price include but are not 

limited to:

• sales receipts from a livestock auction, sale barn or

• other similar livestock sale facilities

• rendering facility receipts

• processing plant receipts

The documentation for injured livestock sales must 

have the price for which the animal was sold as well as 

information on livestock kind, type, and weight sold. 

FSA will use information furnished by the applicant 

to determine eligibility. Furnishing the required 

information is voluntary; however, without all required 

information, program benefits will not be approved or 

provided.

For More Information

This fact sheet is for informational purposes only; other 

eligibility requirements or restrictions may apply. To 

find more information about FSA disaster assistance 

programs, visit farmers.gov or contact your local FSA 

office. To find your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/

service-center-locator.

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 4
TABLE 1: LIP PAYMENT RATES FOR ELIGIBLE LIVESTOCK OWNERS

(rates have been reduced by the required 75%)

KIND TYPE WEIGHT RANGE 2023 PAYMENT RATE PER HEAD

Alpacas $365.00

Beef Adult Bull $1512.19

Cow $1163.23

Non-Adult Less than 400 pounds $540.47

400 to 799 pounds $746.77

800 pounds or more $1618.00

Beefalo Adult Bull $1,605.74 

Cow $1,274.58 

Non-Adult Less than 400 pounds $588.39 

400 to 799 pounds $916.72 

800 pounds or more $1,381.98 

Buffalo/Bison/

Water Buffalo

Adult Bull $1,761.65 

Cow $1,460.18 

Non-Adult Less than400 pounds $588.39 

400 to 799 pounds $1,199.98 

800 pounds or more $1,610.91 

Caribou All $492.88

Chickens Broilers/ Pullets (Regular 

Size)

4.26 to 6.25 pounds $3.49 

Chicks $0.32 

Layers $11.99 

Pullets/ Cornish Hens 

(Small size)

Less than 4.26 pounds $2.35 

Roasters 6.26 to 7.75 pounds $4.44 

Super Roasters/Parts 7.76 pounds or more $5.84 

Dairy Adult Bull $1,254.02 

Cow $1,198.13 

Non-Adult Less than 400 pounds $299.53 

400 to 799 pounds $599.06 

800 pounds or more $978.47 

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 5
TABLE 1: LIP PAYMENT RATES FOR ELIGIBLE LIVESTOCK OWNERS

(rates have been reduced by the required 75%)

KIND TYPE WEIGHT RANGE 2023 PAYMENT RATE PER HEAD

Deer All $492.88

Ducks Ducklings $0.69 

Ducks $4.29 

Elk $684.17

Emus $196.61

Equine $835.57

Geese Goose $43.58 

Gosling $9.15 

Goats Bucks $215.62 

Nannies $137.67 

Slaughter Goats/Kids $107.73 

Llamas $295.04

Ostriches $893.28

Reindeer $492.88

Sheep Ewes $233.35 

Lambs $183.33 

Rams $554.78 

Swine Suckling Nursery Pigs Less than 50 pounds $59.36 

Lightweight Barrows, Gilts 50 to 150 pounds $101.65 

Sows, Boars, Barrows, Gilts 151 to 450 pounds $115.30 

Boars, Sows 450 pounds or more $266.90 

Turkeys Poults $2.33 

Toms, Fryers, Roasters $24.81 

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023 fsa.usda.gov

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 6
TABLE 2: LIP PAYMENT RATES FOR ELIGIBLE LIVESTOCK CONTRACT GROWERS 

(rates have been reduced by the required 75%)

KIND TYPE WEIGHT RANGE 2023 PAYMENT RATE PER HEAD

Chickens Broilers, Pullets (regular size) 4.26 to 6.25 pounds $0.38 

Chicks $0.26 

Layers $0.72 

Pullets, Cornish Hens (small 

size)

Less than 4.26 pounds $0.26 

Roasters 6.26 to 7.75 pounds $0.49 

Super Roasters/Parts 7.76 pounds or more $0.64 

Ducks Ducks $0.47 

Ducklings $0.47 

Geese $4.79 

Swine Suckling Nursery Pigs Less than 50 pounds $6.74 

Lightweight Barrows, Gilts 50 to 150 pounds $15.27 

Sows, Boars, Barrows, Gilts 151 to 450 pounds $17.32 

Boars, Sows 451 pounds or more $109.68 

Turkeys Poults $0.26 

Toms, Fryers, Roasters $2.73 

FACTSHEET • NOVEMBER 2023

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

LIVESTOCK INDEMNITY PROGRAM 7