Illinois offers $5M in grants for meat and poultry producers

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - State officials have announced a $5 million grant program for Illinois meat and poultry producers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Livestock and poultry producers haven't been able to sell as much to processing plants, which have seen COVID-19-related closures.

The grants are part of the Business Interruption Grants program which relies on federal coronavirus relief funds to help small businesses impacted by the pandemic. More than $49 million has been distributed already.

'œIllinois remains a leading agricultural state in the nation, and I'm proud to help farmers build on that success by providing needed grants to help offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,'ť Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.

Applications are available online through October 31.