Bill > HR6369

This bill establishes a new program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture to help small farmers and beginning farmers cover the costs of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits, which are inspections that verify a farm's food safety and hygiene standards. Under this program, the Secretary will provide payments to eligible "covered producers" equal to the full cost of conducting a GAP audit, with eligibility limited to farmers with an average adjusted gross income under $350,000 or those classified as beginning farmers. The program will run for five years and be funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Each year for five years, the Secretary must submit a report to Congressional agricultural committees detailing the number and types of producers who received payments and how these payments helped producers gain access to retail food stores that require GAP audits. A GAP audit specifically refers to an Agricultural Marketing Service audit process related to food safety practices, and the goal is to help smaller agricultural operations meet increasingly stringent market entry requirements by offsetting the financial burden of these mandatory food safety certifications.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6369/all-info