U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety, led Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act and Agricultural Worker Justice Act, a pair of bills to support workers in the agricultural industry and uplift small, family farms across the United States. The Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act aims to create a level playing field for farmers and consumers by weakening the hold consolidated interests have on the agricultural economy. The Agricultural Worker Justice Act would require major food companies to provide decent wages and safe working conditions to do business with the federal government.
“Small and family farms are at the heart of Vermont’s economy and culture. Without them, Vermont wouldn’t be the place we know and love,” said Senator Welch. “But rapid consolidation has jeopardized the well-being and vitality of farms across America—we can’t let that happen. We also need urgent, commonsense safeguards to protect workers in the agricultural industry who face hazardous and exploitative working conditions.”
The Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The legislation is endorsed by the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA), the Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor (HEAL) Food Alliance, National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
“For too long, our food system has rewarded large corporations while squeezing the workers and small farmers who feed our communities,” said Senator Booker. “These bills are about restoring fairness to our food system, addressing decades of consolidation, protecting family farms in New Jersey and across the nation, standing up for workers, and ensuring that people, not corporate profits, always come first.”
Source : senate.gov