Following a NBC report detailing striking disparities in the distribution of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) benefits, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is demanding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture answer for the inequitable distribution of CFAP benefits and is urging USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide direct relief for New York’s small farmers, who have been financially devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CFAP program was created in response to the massive losses that farmers faced at the beginning of the pandemic and was designed to create a lifeline of direct payments to farmers of all sizes. The NBC report uncovered that not only have corporate agribusinesses been favored in the distribution of benefits, but large-scale foreign-owned farms have received millions of dollars in relief through CFAP. Meanwhile, small farmers — including specialty crop growers across New York state — have not received nearly enough funding to cover their losses.

“The disparities in federal farm relief are unfair to our small farmers who are facing insurmountable debt and are struggling to stay afloat due to the pandemic — I am calling on Secretary Perdue to immediately address the unacceptable disparity in relief between our small farmers and corporate agribusinesses and foreign-owned farms,” Gillibrand said. “Furthermore, the CARES Act and CFAP simply did not go far enough to sustain small farms through this difficult time; they need urgent and direct loan forgiveness to continue maintaining operations, paying their workers, and keeping Americans fed. Including legislation like the Relief for Small Farmers Act in the next coronavirus relief package is absolutely crucial to standing up for the family farmers who put food on our tables and keep rural economies strong.”

In a letter to Secretary Perdue, Gillibrand is calling on the USDA to address gaps in CFAP that have left small farmers in crisis. Specifically, Gillibrand is urging USDA to make the program more equitable for small farmers and ranchers, collect data on farm size and demographics for CFAP applications, and set aside at least 50% of all assistance funds specifically for small and mid-scale operations, with payment amounts calculated the same for all producers, based on revenue losses.

Additionally, to address the shortcomings of CFAP, Gillibrand is renewing her call to include the Relief For America’s Small Farmers Act in the next coronavirus relief package. The Relief for America’s Small Farmers Act would provide a one-time debt forgiveness of up to $250,000, across three types of USDA FSA loans. All small farms with an average adjusted gross income of up to $300,000 for the previous five years will be eligible.

Additionally, the legislation would ensure that farmers who receive debt forgiveness or write-downs maintain their eligibility for further USDA Direct and Guaranteed loans.