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    Office of The Secretary Washington, D.C. 20250: United States Department of Agriculture

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    NEWS CENTER Maine
    The USDA responds to a letter from Senator King regarding additional support for Maine's potato industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA outlines the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will provide $16 billion in direct payments to producers impacted by the pandemic and purchase $3 billion of produce, dairy and meat to distribute through food banks. While details will be provided in final rulemaking, the USDA recognizes the effects on Maine's potato industry and will work to implement solutions to support farmers.

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    Office of The Secretary Washington, D.C. 20250: United States Department of Agriculture

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    NEWS CENTER Maine
    4K views2 pages
    The USDA responds to a letter from Senator King regarding additional support for Maine's potato industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA outlines the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will provide $16 billion in direct payments to producers impacted by the pandemic and purchase $3 billion of produce, dairy and meat to distribute through food banks. While details will be provided in final rulemaking, the USDA recognizes the effects on Maine's potato industry and will work to implement solutions to support farmers.

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    USDA Response Re Tailoring CFAP for Potatoes

    Original Title

    05.11.2020 USDA_Response Re Tailoring CFAP for Potatoes

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    The USDA responds to a letter from Senator King regarding additional support for Maine's potato industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA outlines the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will provide $16 billion in direct payments to producers impacted by the pandemic and purchase $3 billion of produce, dairy and meat to distribute through food banks. While details will be provided in final rulemaking, the USDA recognizes the effects on Maine's potato industry and will work to implement solutions to support farmers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    4K views2 pages

    Office of The Secretary Washington, D.C. 20250: United States Department of Agriculture

    Uploaded by

    NEWS CENTER Maine
    The USDA responds to a letter from Senator King regarding additional support for Maine's potato industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA outlines the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will provide $16 billion in direct payments to producers impacted by the pandemic and purchase $3 billion of produce, dairy and meat to distribute through food banks. While details will be provided in final rulemaking, the USDA recognizes the effects on Maine's potato industry and will work to implement solutions to support farmers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    United States Department of Agriculture

    Office of the Secretary


    Washington, D.C. 20250
    May 11, 2020

    The Honorable Angus King, Jr.


    United States Senate
    133 Hart Senate Office Building
    Washington, D.C. 20510

    Dear Senator King:

    Thank you for your letter of April 29, 2020, requesting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture
    (USDA) tailor the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to reflect the unique circumstances
    that Maine’s potato growers face in these unprecedented times. As you are aware, on April 17, 2020,
    President Trump announced USDA’s CFAP, which will provide critical support to our farmers,
    maintain the integrity of our food supply chain, and ensure every American continues to receive and
    have access to the food they need during this national crisis.

    Using the funding and authorities provided in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security
    (CARES) Act, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and existing USDA authorities, CFAP
    will facilitate direct payments to qualified producers and include additional commodity purchases to
    provide certainty to farmers and consumers.

    The program will provide $16 billion in direct support based on actual losses for producers where
    prices and market supply chains have been significantly impacted. The program will also assist
    producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term
    oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.

    With regard to purchases, USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has
    been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities,
    to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy, and meat products. USDA estimates
    purchases of $100 million per month in fresh fruits and vegetables, $100 million per month in a variety
    of dairy products, and $100 million per month in meat products. The distributors and wholesalers will
    then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community
    and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.

    We recognize these are uncertain times for all Americans and share your concerns about the effects of
    COVID-19 on Maine’s potato industry. USDA is working expeditiously to fully implement the CFAP
    provisions and is actively engaged in working to mitigate the immediate and long-term impacts the
    COVID-19 pandemic is having on the agricultural sector and the food supply chain. The details of the
    program, including questions raised in your letter will be provided in the final rulemaking. USDA
    stands ready to work with you to implement solutions that will help ensure the health and safety of
    American agriculture.

    An Equal Opportunity Employer


    The Honorable Angus S. King, Jr.
    Page 2

    Again, thank you for your letter and continued support of America’s farmers and ranchers. Please visit
    https://www.usda.gov/coronavirus for additional resources. Your comments and recommendations are
    appreciated. For more information, please have a member of your staff reach out to the Office of
    Congressional Relations at (202)720-7095.

    Sincerely,

    Sonny Perdue
    Secretary

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