WASHINGTON – The Environmental Working Group today welcomed a new proposal by the Department of Agriculture to spend $65 million on improving health and safety standards for farmworkers.
“EWG looks forward to working with the USDA to provide safer working conditions for farmworkers,” said Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs. “We need to do much more to protect the people who feed us.”
Farmworkers’ health and safety is threatened by inadequate standards. In 2020, an EWG analysis found few states had mandatory Covid-19 protections for farmworkers.
This month, the USDA also announced up to $300 million in spending to help farmers and ranchers make the transition to organic farming, which helps reduce the use of toxic pesticides.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
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