The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on ag labor reform on Wed., July 21. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) says the seasonal H-2A Visa program will be under review. National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines, Iowa, will be testifying at the hearing.
The program, created decades ago, was designed to secure a steady flow of agriculture labor into the U.S. However, the program doesn’t work very well for many ag employers in states like Iowa and elsewhere, Grassley explained on a call with reporters on Tuesday.
Five states typically dominate the numbers of H-2A guest workers – California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington. They account for about 55% of all H-2A jobs.
Grassley said he will focus on three important areas of reform in the hearing:
1. The H2A program should promote access to a stable and legal workforce. The seasonality of the program doesn’t fit pig farming well. The program needs to expand to cover year-round industries. Reform should also involve streamlining the program, reducing red tape and addressing the high cost of using the program.
2. Immigration reform should broaden the E-Verify system, so there is assurance people in the program are in the country legally.
3. Agricultural labor should not include a mass amnesty for current illegal immigrant farm workers.
“The pork industry uses the H-2A visa program for specialized work, but cannot use the program for most labor needs because of its seasonal limitation. Without visa reform to support a viable workforce for U.S. agriculture, this issue is likely to cause increasing harm to the agriculture industry, ultimately leading to higher food prices for consumers,” NPPC said on its website.
Learn more about NPPC’s campaign, “Year-Round Pork Needs Year-Round Workers.”
Read more on Farm Journal’s PORK:
NPPC Calls for Labor Reform, Seeks Changes to H-2A Visa Program
