- APHIS has published its 2026 Veterinary Services (VS) Indemnity Table with updated animal values used during disease response programs.
- New valuation methods align compensation for pregnant animals with recent legislative changes and USDA Farm Service Agency guidance.
- The agency updated turkey poult valuations, expanded categories for several specialty species, and refined dairy cattle classifications.
- Annual updates are intended to provide producers with fair, consistent compensation while encouraging early reporting of reportable animal diseases.
- The complete 2026 VS Indemnity Table is available here.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has released the 2026 Veterinary Services (VS) Indemnity Table, updating compensation values used when livestock and other animals must be destroyed as part of disease control and eradication programs.
APHIS reviews the indemnity table each year to ensure payment values reflect current market conditions and evolving federal policy. The agency said maintaining accurate, transparent valuations helps support timely disease reporting and enables faster response during animal health emergencies.
Key changes for 2026
Among the most significant updates, APHIS revised how pregnant animals are valued to align with changes authorized under recent federal legislation and corresponding USDA Farm Service Agency policy.
Additional revisions include new non-adult categories for alpacas, emus, llamas, and ostriches; updated turkey poult valuation methods; revised organic poultry premiums; improved averaging for ram values; updated pricing sources for ducks and geese; and age-based dairy cattle classifications.
Supporting animal disease response
APHIS said indemnity payments are designed to encourage producers to promptly report foreign and domestic animal diseases by providing fair compensation when animals must be destroyed as part of official disease control measures.
Access the full report
The complete 2026 Veterinary Services Indemnity Table is available from APHIS: Download the full report (PDF).
Information sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
