Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025

# Healthy Poultry Assistance and Indemnification Act of 2025 – Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill would expand federal compensation payments to poultry farmers affected by disease control measures. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture only compensates farmers when their birds are confirmed or suspected to be infected with diseases like avian flu. This bill would broaden that program to also compensate farmers whose poultry are *not infected* but are located in a "control area" established by the government to contain disease spread—particularly the buffer zones surrounding outbreak areas.

It would also change how compensation is calculated, basing payments on each farmer's average income from their previous five flocks rather than current formulas. **Who it affects:** The primary beneficiaries would be poultry growers and egg-layer producers, especially those in areas near disease outbreaks. The bill particularly helps farmers in buffer zones who must reduce operations due to disease control measures but whose birds remain disease-free. Taxpayers would fund these expanded payments through the federal government. **Current status:** The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate.