The US meat industry applauds agricultural worker bill
If the Agricultural Guestworker Act of 2017 will pass Congress, it would set up the basis of an H-2C visa program that will allow American farmers, ranchers, producers, packers, and processors access to a legal and stable supply of workers, according to NTF.
“With today’s workforce shortages, access to a pool of legal immigrant workers through a viable
visa program is critical to the turkey industry and the long-term success of the U.S. economy. We
look forward to working with the Chairman and Congress to pass the legislation,” said Joel
Brandenberger, President of the National Turkey Federation.
“The introduction of this legislation is an important first step for a comprehensive approach to
immigration reform,” said NCC President Mike Brown. “An effective occupational visa system may
be the most important barrier to illegal immigration. The creation of the H-2C program would
serve the diverse interests of the agriculture and food manufacturing industries and will boost the
modern agriculture labor market. NCC commends Chairman Goodlatte, and we look forward to
working with him and Congress on a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.”
“The meat and poultry industry depends on a stable, reliable workforce to produce the high quality,
nutritious products that consumers love. However, workforce needs are a consistent and pressing
priority for the industry, as many jobs remain unfilled. The Meat Institute thanks Chairman
Goodlatte for helping to address these challenges by introducing the ’Agricultural Guestworker Act,’
which, if passed, will offer our members an additional avenue for securing valuable employees
when local workers are simply unavailable,” said Barry Carpenter, North American Meat Institute
President and CEO.
Photo Source: USDA/Flickr
This measure, in his opinion, does not at all reflect the important advances that the Spanish liv...
Soren Skou was elected chairman, and Daniel O. Pedersen and Ulrik Bremholm were elected to the tw...
Lambs tailed in the South Island decreased by an estimated 645,000 head (-6.4%) compared to 2023,...
