The Cutting COSTS Act of 2025 directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a program that pays small farmers and beginning farmers the full cost of obtaining Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) audits, which are certifications that demonstrate farms meet food safety standards. The program targets farmers with average annual incomes under $350,000 or those just starting out in farming, helping them overcome financial barriers to certification that many retail grocery stores now require for selling produce. The USDA will fund the program through the Commodity Credit Corporation and must report annually to Congress on how many farmers participated and whether the payments helped them gain access to retail markets. The program will run for five years before automatically ending, unless Congress extends it.
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