Farm, worker and agribusiness likely to support immigration proposal
April 15, 2013 | 06:13 PM
A panel of farm, farm worker and agribusiness leaders said today they expect to support an immigration reform proposal that is scheduled to be announced by the “gang of eight” senators on Tuesday. See details in following story.
After speaking at a Consumer Federation of America conference session on the impact of immigration on the food supply, National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger and Bruce Goldstein, executive director of Farmworker Justice, both said they were “very hopeful.”
LaQuita Honeysucker, legislative representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, said “There is a sense of optimism.”
Maureen Torrey
Maureen Torrey, co-owner of Torrey Farms in New York, agreed, but noted that she has been through a lot of disappointments over immigration and that it is “vital” to get members of the House on board behind the proposal.
Torrey added, however, that the prospects for passage appear better because the pro-immigration advocates have maintained control of the national conversation.
“We let talk show hosts control immigration and lead policy the last time,” she said. “I don’t that’s happening this time.”
During the conference, all panel participants made the point that immigration reform for farm and agricultural workers would improve food safety.
Honeysucker noted that her union represents grocery store and food processing workers. A total of 532,000 people work in meat and poultry processing and 34 percent of them are Latino, she said.
“A large number are immigrants, they are the first and last line of defense before the food gets to your table,” she said.
It takes a year to learn how to operate the mechanical cutting knife used to make a steak, she added, noting that making a mistake can expose the carcass to bacteria.
“It is vital that you have someone who knows what to look for,” she said.
Joel Brandenberger
“There is a huge investment in the workforce that works in the meat and poultry plants,” Brandenberger said, adding that plant owners want to know workers are going to be able to stay on the job when they train them.
Goldstein, of Farmworker Justice, said 55 to 75 percent of farm workers lack legal status and that the “broken immigration system is fundamentally interfering with everything farm workers are trying to do.”
“A lot of the things we treasure and are good for us are cultivated and harvested by hand,” he added.
Torrey, who grows fruits and vegetables, said that the lack of immigration policy and the raids in the last few years on workers have robbed the country of two generations of farm workers. Key differences in this year’s policy development, she said, are that the dairy industry has been involved and all of agriculture seems to have realized the importance of immigration.
Deb Atwood, the executive director of AGree, a foundation effort on farm policy who chaired the panel and has acted as a facilitator between the immigration factions, said she expects to see a bill on President Barack Obama’s desk by December.
After speaking at a Consumer Federation of America conference session on the impact of immigration on the food supply, National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger and Bruce Goldstein, executive director of Farmworker Justice, both said they were “very hopeful.”
LaQuita Honeysucker, legislative representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, said “There is a sense of optimism.”
Maureen Torrey, co-owner of Torrey Farms in New York, agreed, but noted that she has been through a lot of disappointments over immigration and that it is “vital” to get members of the House on board behind the proposal.
Torrey added, however, that the prospects for passage appear better because the pro-immigration advocates have maintained control of the national conversation.
“We let talk show hosts control immigration and lead policy the last time,” she said. “I don’t that’s happening this time.”
During the conference, all panel participants made the point that immigration reform for farm and agricultural workers would improve food safety.
Honeysucker noted that her union represents grocery store and food processing workers. A total of 532,000 people work in meat and poultry processing and 34 percent of them are Latino, she said.
“A large number are immigrants, they are the first and last line of defense before the food gets to your table,” she said.
It takes a year to learn how to operate the mechanical cutting knife used to make a steak, she added, noting that making a mistake can expose the carcass to bacteria.
“It is vital that you have someone who knows what to look for,” she said.
“There is a huge investment in the workforce that works in the meat and poultry plants,” Brandenberger said, adding that plant owners want to know workers are going to be able to stay on the job when they train them.
Goldstein, of Farmworker Justice, said 55 to 75 percent of farm workers lack legal status and that the “broken immigration system is fundamentally interfering with everything farm workers are trying to do.”
“A lot of the things we treasure and are good for us are cultivated and harvested by hand,” he added.
Torrey, who grows fruits and vegetables, said that the lack of immigration policy and the raids in the last few years on workers have robbed the country of two generations of farm workers. Key differences in this year’s policy development, she said, are that the dairy industry has been involved and all of agriculture seems to have realized the importance of immigration.
Deb Atwood, the executive director of AGree, a foundation effort on farm policy who chaired the panel and has acted as a facilitator between the immigration factions, said she expects to see a bill on President Barack Obama’s desk by December.
