(a) Qualifying livestock producers(1) If the Secretary determines that a livestock emergency exists in a State, county, or area, qualifying livestock producers located in such State, county, or area, or in a contiguous county as provided for in section 1471a(b) of this title, shall be eligible (under application procedures established by the Secretary) for emergency feed assistance under this subchapter in accordance with this subsection.
(2) For the purposes of this subsection, a “qualifying livestock producer” is a livestock producer who has suffered a substantial loss in feed normally produced on the farm for such producer’s livestock as a result of the livestock emergency and, as a result, does not have sufficient feed that has adequate nutritive value and is suitable for each of such producer’s particular types of livestock (as of the date of the request, or initiation of consideration, for a determination of a livestock emergency under section 1471b of this title) for the estimated duration of the emergency.
(3) Each qualifying livestock producer shall be eligible for emergency feed assistance under the programs specified in section 1471d(a) of this title that is made available where the producer is located in quantities sufficient to meet such feed deficiency with respect to the producer’s livestock normally fed with feed produced by the producer.
(b) Availability of additional assistanceEach livestock producer in such State, county, or area, or in a contiguous county as provided for in section 1471a(b) of this title, regardless of whether the producer qualifies for assistance under subsection (a), shall be eligible for emergency assistance under the programs specified in section 1471e of this title that are made available where the producer is located.
(c) Program participation optionAny livestock producer, located in a county or area in which benefits under the emergency feed program or the emergency feed assistance program were made available due to the drought or related condition in 1988 prior to the effective date of this subchapter, who qualifies for assistance under such pre-existing programs shall be eligible for assistance for such drought or related conditions as prescribed in subsection (a) or, at the producer’s option, for assistance under such pre-existing programs.