Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced updates to the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance program which will provide $350 million in pandemic relief payments to dairy farmers impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage program were announced. Following the update, Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee, Glenn "GT" Thompson, issued the following statement:
“I am pleased to see USDA take these important steps to support the dairy industry and implement programs passed by Congress last December. The improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage program will provide meaningful assistance to producers and add to the baseline for the next Farm Bill. The Department is also announcing a new program to partially reimburse producers for losses they suffered last year on account of unusual milk price inversions that occurred during the pandemic.
"While this announcement is welcome news for many of our farmers, more work is necessary to address the needs of producers of all sizes—both in dairy and other agricultural markets. I look forward to additional details on the dairy donation program and will work with Secretary Vilsack and my colleagues in Congress to ensure producers of all commodities nationwide have the relief and tools to recover from the pandemic and move our economy forward."
