Sw Louisiana News

Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) has announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has acceded to his request to include crawfish in the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). This move came after Higgins sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in January, urging him to recognize drought as an eligible cause of loss for ELAP. The inclusion was deemed crucial for Louisiana's crawfish farmers to qualify for and access emergency assistance following the severe drought in 2023.

The USDA's announcement opens up ELAP assistance to Louisiana crawfish farmers who suffered losses due to excessive heat last year. In order to devise a formula-based payment assistance program, the USDA collaborated with the Louisiana Farm Bureau and the LSU AgCenter. For further information or application for assistance, producers can reach out to their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) at their USDA Service Center or visit usda.gov.

In addition, Congressman Higgins joined forces with Governor Jeff Landry and members of the Louisiana delegation to secure disaster loan assistance for non-farm crawfish businesses through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

“The decision to include crawfish in the ELAP program is a win for Louisiana’s farmers,” said Congressman Higgins. “The crawfish industry is a vital part of Louisiana’s economy and culture. Since coming to Congress, my office has advocated for our crawfish industry every step of the way. We will continue to work at the federal level to deliver for our agricultural community.”