Leaders from the U.S. poultry industry told the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture the shortage of labor is a continuing problem and policy reforms regarding immigrant labor were part of the solution.
John Zimmerman, a Minnesota turkey grower and member of the National Turkey Federation (NTF) executive committee, had earlier testified in front of the committee three years ago. He said the labor shortage problem certainly hasn’t improved since then.
“We support immigration reform that includes policies and provisions that meet the needs of the U.S. economy, but most importantly, a visa program for meat and poultry processors,” Zimmerman testified on July 16.
Processors can only rely so much on local labor pools, he said.
“Most turkey plants are located in rural, low-unemployment areas, and to fully staff these plants, our producers must recruit from outside their local areas, and in many instances, rely on immigrant labor,” he said. “Existing guestworker programs target only seasonal, on-farm labor and non-agricultural manufacturing, and we need workers in our plants year-round.
“The turkey industry is not just about Thanksgiving. We’re doing this year-round and we need a visa program that would allow these employees to stay for the entire year.”
David Will, general manager of egg company Chino Valley Ranchers, agreed with Zimmerman about the need for such a visa program.
“Right now, with this current employment, and with the joblessness down where it is, it’s very hard to get people to come in and be reliable and work. We desperately need some sort of program,” Will said.
When asked by subcommittee chairman JIm Costa, D-California, if the workers feared possible deportation, he said it did, and consequently, it makes things more difficult for employers, who have to worry about whether their workers will show up every day for work.
Will testified on behalf of Egg Farmers of California, the Pacific Egg and Poultry Association, and United Egg Producers.
Mixed reactions
Subcommittee member Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, said many of the livestock producers she has spoken to that reside in her district say they need reliable labor. She asked Zimmerman if he felt the present labor situation impedes the growth of the turkey industry.
“You can’t raise more birds without more people,” said Zimmerman, who said that despite increased automation at many turkey plants, the need for more human labor remains. “To grow an industry, you need inputs, whether it’s fertilizer, feed or whatever. The input of labor is something we really don’t have control over because it’s the erratic nature of the laws that are affecting it. If there could be more certainty with that input, we could grow more.”
Craig responded, “I’d sure as heck like to grow more.”
However, not all subcommittee members agreed. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minnesota, told witnesses and fellow subcommittee members they had only discussed “one side" of the issue, and offered his opinion on what he viewed as the other side.
“Until we secure the borders, until we have an immigration system that works and that can’t be circumvented, those programs are worthless,” Hagedorn said. “If you can just run over the border or overstay a visa and then undercut the programs that we have to try to fill these jobs, some people are still going to cheat. Some people are going to get in there and work illegally. That’s inherently unfair. We have to have a system that’s fair and legal for everyone.”
Zimmerman, prior to Hagedorn’s remarks, said the turkey industry stands “ready to work with any and all parties to achieve a workable system.”
Zimmerman is a constituent of Craig’s. Hagedorn’s district borders the district represented by Craig.
