Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, said that expanding the federal agricultural visa program to year-round operations was a priority as he and other members of Congress met Tuesday with Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta in Washington.
The H-2A program currently allows farms to access regular, and often returning, workers from primarily Central American and Caribbean nations on a seasonal basis. Workers return home each winter, with no regulations permitting full-year stays or continued work at operations without a set season.
“I’ve talked with hard-working farmers across Western New York who are struggling because they are unable to retain year-round workers,” Collins said after the meeting. “Our dairy farmers especially are burdened with an H-2A program that does not allow them to hire the individuals they need to milk cows, feed livestock, and maintain the herd.”
Expanding H-2A visas to year-round applicants would also benefit nursery and fresh cut operations, Collins said.
Collins’ office told The Daily News that farm labor reforms could be enacted either in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization or in immigration legislation. The meeting with Secretary Acosta was based on the fact that the Department of Labor has the ability to make rule changes that would immediately amend program guidelines.
“I urged Secretary Acosta to take action on this issue now,” Collins said. “Western New York’s and America’s farmers can’t continue to be burdened by these ineffective rules and regulations while waiting for Congress to act.”
Collins was joined by Members of Congress from across the United States who also discussed streamlining the H-2A application process. Recommendations presented would reduce redundancies and improve operating efficiencies.
Source: The Daily News
Link: http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/collins-says-labor-secretary-can-give-dairy-farms-access-to-h-2a-20170926