A Farmworker Advisory Council was recently created under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). According to FDACS, a previous statewide farmworker advisory council was established in 1979 but later disbanded.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried announced the creation of the council at a press conference at Tamiami Park in Miami. She was joined by Óscar Londoño of WeCount!, Susana Vela of Centro Campesino Farmworker Center, Arturo López of the Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations, Susana Rivera of M.U.J.E.R. and Gerardo Reyes of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
“Florida’s farmworkers are critical to a safe, strong domestic food supply, but their health and safety needs are too often ignored,” Fried said. “Farmworkers are particularly susceptible to respiratory illnesses and heat-related death, yet less than half of farmworkers have access to adequate health coverage, which is unacceptable. These challenges have become more dire as the COVID-19 pandemic increased the risks faced by farmworkers and the food and agricultural industries.” She said creation of the council ensures farmworkers “have a voice on the Florida Cabinet.”
“Over the past year, Florida’s farmworkers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 public health crisis that endangered the lives and the health of our members, and thousands of other essential workers across our state,” said WeCount!’s Londoño.
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study in late 2020 indicated that an estimated 75% of Florida crop workers have at least one underlying health issue that puts them at risk of developing COVID-19 complications. Learn more about that study.
“We heard a lot that we are essential, but we have been treated like we are disposable,” said Gerardo Reyes of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a worker-based human rights organization.
Fried also recently recognized June 29 as Farmworker Appreciation Day.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
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