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NPPC: need for work visa reform

The National Pork Producers Council is urging Congress to adjust work visas for foreign agriculture workers. NPPC’s Jim Monroe said there is a major labor shortage in U.S. agriculture.

“Right now, the visa programs in the United States that allow U.S. agriculture to bring in foreign workers, really are designed for seasonal agriculture [like] fruits, vegetables,” he said. “They’re not designed for year-round production like pork production.”

Monroe said a decline in rural populations has created a dependance on foreign workers.  He tells Brownfield NPPC is hopeful adjustments to the H-2A program will be included as the Biden administration looks at immigration reform.

“We want to see legislation that does not put a cap on the number of non-seasonal foreign born ag workers that we can bring in and also provides a pathway to legal status for agriculture workers that are already in this country that have that experience,” Monroe said.

Monroe said NPPC members will voice this priority to members of Congress during the Spring Legislative Convention that runs through Friday.