NOC Seeks Feedback from Farmers on Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
NOC is seeking feedback from organic farmers on the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) direct payment plan for farmers, to better understand how to advocate for meaningful support for organic farmers. Learn more about the CFAP program.
Are you an organic farmer, and have you considered applying for the CFAP? Please complete this short survey - https://forms.gle/EBcEG4J4SsDG1rDB9
PANDEMIC RESPONSE
As Members of Congress consider how best to address the needs of farms, farm workers, businesses, retailers, organic certification agencies, organic inspectors, and consumers during the pandemic, we believe the following actions are necessary:
1. Organic Certification Cost-Share: As an emergency measure, USDA should reimburse organic certification agencies directly for certification fees and the reimbursement should be increased to a 100 percent during the pandemic, rather than the 75% that is typically allowed in the certification cost-share program.
2. Direct payments: Congress should authorize additional funds for direct payment to farmers with explicit provisions that allow farms to use whole farm revenue to demonstrate losses, and to include losses that occur over the course of 2020 (not just losses during the first several months of 2020).
3. Food Access: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants should be able to purchase food online in all states. Farmers, distributors, and food retailers need technical assistance to set up online systems so SNAP recipients can purchase food directly from farms, CSAs, and cooperative grocery stores.
4. Grants: Congress should authorize funding to provide farms, farmers markets, farm stands, and food co-ops with grants to cover COVID-19 expenses, such as PPE, equipment and technology modifications, sanitation and staffing costs that essential businesses are incurring to protect workers and consumers during the pandemic.
5. Hazard pay: Federally funded pay bonuses should be provided to front line food system and grocery workers, to compensate them for their essential work under hardship conditions.
6. Small Business Administration programs: Funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) programs should be replenished, and procedures to ensure farmers’ access to both programs should be expanded.
NOC continues to urge Congress to include these provisions in the next coronavirus response package.
The full details of our requests are available in this letter to Congress (from May 7, 2020).