New York Farm Bureau Asks Governor to Further Address
Farmworker Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic
Farmworker safety is important year-round, but the needs are
paramount at this time as farms work to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19
pandemic. New York Farm Bureau has written a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo
asking for additional state assistance to address the needs of the agricultural
community. This would include inter-agency coordination related to testing,
medical treatment, and emergency housing for farmworkers, who are essential to
agricultural production.
Farms are taking this health crisis seriously. New York Farm
Bureau and its partners throughout the state have initiated widespread outreach
to promote the health and safety of our farm families and their valued
employees, but there are still needs to be met. Guest workers often live together
in farm provided housings which can provide barriers to effective quarantining
should an employee test positive for the coronavirus. Clear guidelines and
protocols would be helpful along with increased attention to rural health care
needs.
In the letter to the Governor, NYFB President David Fisher
writes, “We urge you to increase testing and treatment for COVID-19 in rural
parts of New York with an emphasis on farms and processing facilities, for
workers that may have been exposed to COVID-19 regardless if the worker is
showing symptoms. We would like to see guidance for protocols and procedures
that our farms should be taking in the case a worker tests positive for
COVID-19. Including testing, quarantine, housing, meal preparation and
transportation protocols that should be implemented.”
New York Farm Bureau appreciates the hard work of the New
York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and its partner agencies
during this pandemic, and our organization looks forward to a continued
partnership to protect agriculture’s valuable workforce. New York’s farms are
meeting our food security needs and this must continue.
