The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is asking Congress to offset farm worker protection costs in the next coronavirus relief package. AFBF Congressional Relations Director Allison Crittenden said lawmakers have just a few weeks to provide more coronavirus relief.
“The lawmakers are back. The clock is ticking before August recess, so we have just a few weeks,” she said in an interview with AFBF’s Newsline. “Some of the big-ticket items are obviously appropriation, but even more of a focus right now is the next coronavirus relief package.”
Many farmers have already implemented farm worker protection protocols and taken steps to keep their employees safe, but Crittenden said those efforts are costly.
“Some of the estimates have shown you have extra housing, or you have to retrofit your housing, perhaps spend more on transportation to allow for social distancing while traveling to and from the farm. Also, providing PPE and additional sanitizer and disinfectant. All of that has brought added costs to a time where we are seeing shrinking profit margins,” Crittenden said. “So, what we’re asking for from Farm Bureau is to have a way to offset some of those costs that farmers are taking on in order to keep their workers safe.”
Crittenden noted it is important to protect farm workers to keep the food supply chain healthy.
“If we want to keep the supply chain rolling and not have any disruptions, then we have to make sure that the men and women that are working on our farms are healthy and want to come to work each day and help get that food from the farm on to our table,” she said.
Click here for farm safety guidelines, U.S. Department of Agriculture contacts and additional information to help farmers and their employees continue to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic.