Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025
Summary
HB1376, the Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025, would amend the Animal Health Protection Act to create a federal compensation program for poultry growers and layer operators located in USDA-designated control areas. Under the bill, if a facility is prohibited from growing or laying birds because it falls within a control area, the Secretary of Agriculture would be required to compensate the owner for the flocks they could not produce during the period the control area is in effect.
The compensation formula is tied to the average income from the five most recent flocks at the facility, multiplied by the number of flocks the owner was prevented from producing. Any payment would be reduced by compensation already received from a state or other source for the same lost flocks, and the Secretary’s payment determination would be final and not subject to judicial review. The bill also incorporates existing exceptions from the Animal Health Protection Act and bars duplicate federal payment where the owner already received compensation for destroyed animals in the same control area and time period.
Impact
The bill would expand federal indemnity authority under 7 U.S.C. 8306 by adding a new category of compensation for economic losses caused by movement or production restrictions in animal disease control areas, not just losses from destroyed animals. It would directly affect poultry growers and layer facilities, especially those impacted by avian disease response measures, and would likely require USDA/APHIS to administer claims and calculate payments based on recent production history. The measure could also interact with state disaster or disease compensation programs by offsetting federal payments by amounts already received from state or other sources.
Sentiment
Available context suggests the bill is generally favorable and bipartisan in tone. It was introduced by a group of House members from both parties and referred to the Agriculture Committee and then the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, with no recorded votes or committee debate in the provided materials. The title and structure indicate a policy response aimed at helping poultry producers absorb losses from disease-control restrictions rather than a controversial regulatory change.
Contention
The main policy issue is how to compensate producers fairly when disease-control measures prevent production without requiring flock destruction. Potential points of contention include the cost to the federal government, whether the payment formula based on the five most recent flocks accurately reflects losses, and whether the Secretary’s determination should be insulated from judicial review. Another possible concern is duplication or overlap with state assistance programs, since the bill reduces federal compensation by amounts received from other sources and bars payment where destroyed-animal compensation has already been paid for the same facility and period.
Prohibits force-feeding to create a force-fed poultry product or the hiring of another to engage in force-feeding of a poultry product. It also prohibits the sale of a force-fed poultry product or food containing a force-fed poultry product.
Prohibits force-feeding to create a force-fed poultry product or the hiring of another to engage in force-feeding of a poultry product. It also prohibits the sale of a force-fed poultry product or food containing a force-fed poultry product.