DOL Withdraws Child Labor Proposal

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) recent decision to withdraw a proposed rule dealing with children who work in agricultural jobs has brought a sigh of relief to many in the fruit and vegetable industry.

The DOL issued the following statement on its website last week: “The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations.

“As a result, the Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations.

“The decision to withdraw this rule — including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ — was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.

“Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

Several agriculture officials have voiced their support of this decision. “Thanks to the outcry of rural Americans, this ill-conceived proposal has been scrapped,” said West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. “This proposal showed a lack of knowledge of real life on the farm, and sought to fix a problem that the agricultural community is already dealing with successfully.”

Arizona Farm Bureau President Kevin Rogers was also encouraged by the administration’s decision. “We applaud the administration’s decision to withdraw the rules so that our next generation can learn to farm,” says Rogers.

Rogers said the Arizona Farm Bureau, along with American Farm Bureau, will continue working on behalf of its members to ensure that the parental exemptions that remain important to agriculture will be protected, in addition to helping educate families about the importance of farm safety through its Safety Committee programs. This issue is of ongoing important since more than 97% of America’s farms are family owned. “We had members from across Arizona call their Washington delegation to ask for common sense in the Labor Department’s proposed rules,” says Rogers. “It’s heartening to see the process still can work and our farmers’ and ranchers’ voices were heard. The family unit will be able to function in business as many of our families do and family-owned businesses across the country traditionally do.”

Arizona Farm Bureau sent out an alert to its agriculture membership during the Labor Department’s rule making process asking members to let their voices be heard. “It’s a win for the youth in America too who maybe did not grow up on a farm but have an opportunity to participate in 4-H and FFA, two of our most valuable youth organizations. Yesterday’s decision was a win for family farms and a win for common sense.”

Farming organizations in other states, including the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association, also released statements applauding the administration’s decision.