{"id":49764,"date":"2022-11-18T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=49764"},"modified":"2023-01-26T09:52:51","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T17:52:51","slug":"absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for&nbsp;Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe class=\"lazyload\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/civil-eats\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety--states-and-others-step-up-for-change\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> When he arrived in the United States from Guatemala in 2012, Efrain got a job at a dairy farm in Vermont. There, he slept on a wooden pallet on the floor of the calf barn because his employer didn\u2019t provide housing. Two years later, when he slipped and injured his back on the icy steps at another dairy, he worked the remaining six hours of his shift, afraid of what would happen if he stopped.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<div class=\"pulled-sidebar pulled-sidebar-right\"><div class=\"pulled-sidebar-title\">Injured and Invisible: Our Investigation<\/div><p>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/injured-invisible\/\">all the stories<\/a> in our series:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/14\/injured-and-invisible-1-few-protections-animal-agriculture-workers-cafos-dairy-migrants-injuries\/\"> Animal Agriculture Is Dangerous Work. The People Who Do It Have Few Protections.<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nFederal OSHA protections don\u2019t apply to 96 percent of the animal agriculture operations that hire workers in America. When people die on the job, the federal agency doesn\u2019t respond 85 percent of the time.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/15\/animal-agriculture-workers-say-they-cant-breath-respiratory-health-cafos-ppe\/\"><strong> \u2018I Was Coughing So Hard I Would Throw Up\u2019<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\nWorkers at the tens of thousands of hog, chicken, and cow CAFOs in the US face severe respiratory health burdens. The corporate response is risk management.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/16\/injured-and-invisible-cafos-animal-ag-biogas-expansion-worker-safety\/\"> Biogas Expansion May Compound Worker Risks <\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nGovernment incentives are driving larger, more crowded CAFOs\u2014while protections for the workers inside lag behind.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/17\/injured-and-invisible-worker-safety-chicken-hospital-healthcare-osha-injury\/\"> Tyson Says Its Nurses Help Workers. Critics Charge They Stymie OSHA.<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nThe company\u2019s on-site care system is emblematic of risk-management practices that disadvantage workers farther down the supply chain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>During his first few years in the country, Efrain, who has asked that we not use his last name for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities, never felt completely safe or secure in his job. That changed in 2018 when his current employer, a medium-sized Vermont dairy, joined <a href=\"https:\/\/migrantjustice.net\/about-the-milk-with-dignity-program\">Milk with Dignity<\/a>, a program that sets worker-developed standards for wages, safety, housing, and scheduling, among other things.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the 30-year-old works alongside a few other hired workers. He is paid more, his schedule is stable, he has a full day off every week, and he can take paid time off when he\u2019s sick. The whole feeling of work is different now, he said. He feels safe, comfortable, and supported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeforehand, they didn\u2019t care about the conditions; you just had to get the work done however you could. There was nobody checking to see if you could do it safely,\u201d Efrain said through a translator. \u201cNow, it\u2019s very different. They have to give you protective equipment, and if there\u2019s not, you speak up and they provide it. They take measures to make sure we can work safely.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cI think the COVID crisis exposed the intense fragility of this industry. It started people asking how efficient is too efficient? At what point does efficiency become violence?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is a bright spot. In animal agriculture, where a budget rider <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/14\/injured-and-invisible-1-few-protections-animal-agriculture-workers-cafos-dairy-migrants-injuries\/\">exempts 96 percent of the operations<\/a> that hire workers from federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protections, innovative programs like Milk with Dignity\u2014as well as a few states\u2019 efforts to pass worker-centered legislation\u2014are signaling that change is possible. They\u2019re also proving it can be affordable for farms, too.<\/p>\n<p>While advocates have pushed to improve federal protections for years with only limited success, those worker-driven programs, as well as state-level innovations, have blanketed the nation in a patchwork of fixes. Even as federal changes lag behind, smaller-scale efforts are gaining momentum.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the COVID crisis exposed the intense fragility of this industry,\u201d said Alex Blanchette, a professor of anthropology at Tufts University who worked in pork production to write the book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dukeupress.edu\/porkopolis\">Porkopolis<\/a><\/em>. \u201cIt started people asking how efficient is too efficient? At what point does efficiency become violence?\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>A Worker-Developed Standard<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> After years of pursuing protections for dairy workers in Vermont and New York, the immigrant-led organization <a href=\"https:\/\/migrantjustice.net\/\">Migrant Justice<\/a> created Milk with Dignity, taking inspiration from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), the tomato pickers from south-central Florida who developed the worker-driven <a href=\"https:\/\/fairfoodprogram.org\/\">Fair Food Program<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Through Milk with Dignity, dairy farms can receive a premium for milk in exchange for complying with a <a href=\"https:\/\/migrantjustice.net\/sites\/default\/files\/2018%20MD%20Code%20English%20%281%29.pdf\">code of conduct<\/a> developed by workers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/milkwithdignity.org\/about\">Milk with Dignity Standards Council<\/a> (MDSC) monitors compliance, audits dairies annually, and leads corrective action when needed. If working conditions aren\u2019t up to standard\u2014workers can report concerns without fear of retaliation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cThis really takes that extreme power imbalance, upends it, and says to corporations, \u2018The workers in your supply chain are now your business partners.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ben &amp; Jerry\u2019s became the first buyer to sign on to Milk with Dignity in 2014 after three years of <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2015\/05\/11\/will-ben-and-jerrys-help-improve-conditions-for-dairy-workers\/\">negotiation and campaigning by workers<\/a>, signaling the impact that corporate buy-in to worker initiatives can have. By last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/milkwithdignity.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022_md_program_five-year_report.pdf\">51 dairy farms<\/a> in Vermont and New York employed more than 200 workers to cover 100 percent of Ben &amp; Jerry\u2019s northeast dairy supply chain\u2014all protected by Milk with Dignity standards.<\/p>\n<p>Participating farms are required to collaborate with workers on developing site-specific health and safety processes. Those include practices around maintaining and operating heavy machinery, avoiding repetitive stress and musculoskeletal disorders, handling needles and chemicals, managing animals, ensuring proper ventilation, weathering extreme temperatures, communicating during emergencies, and accessing safety data sheets. Additionally, farms are required to offer new employees paid training and provide them with personal protective equipment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis really takes that extreme power imbalance, upends it, and says to corporations, \u2018The workers in your supply chain are now your business partners\u2014you&#8217;re signing a contract with them, where in essence, you are ceding power to them to determine the conditions in the supply chain,\u2019\u201d said Will Lambek of Migrant Justice.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-2-credit-migrant-justice.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-2-credit-migrant-justice.jpg\" alt=\"A farmworker education session led by Migrant Justice. (Photo courtesy of Migrant Justice)\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>A farmworker education session led by Migrant Justice. (Photo courtesy of Migrant Justice)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Tom Fritzsche, the MDSC executive director, noted that almost none of the farmers in the program had ever had their working conditions monitored before. \u201cIt can be uncomfortable to welcome an inspection and interviews with employees when that type of thing hasn\u2019t happened before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The result has been big improvements. Since 2019, the program has conducted hundreds of education sessions and farm audits and developed 1,340 corrective action plans\u2014all of which were agreed to by farmers. The 24\/7 worker support line has also received more than a thousand inquiries from farmers and workers.<\/p>\n<p>Efrain feels fortunate to have landed at a farm where the human rights-focused program sets the standard. He no longer works 16-hour shifts, sleeps on the floor, or works for a supervisor who drinks and is difficult, like one of his first jobs. Now he is paid $875 a week, about double a prior wage. And where before, \u201cThere was no rest,\u201d he\u2019s now guaranteed a full day off every week.<\/p>\n<h4>State-Level Innovation<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Many experts see the removal of the OSHA budget rider as key to protecting workers in animal agriculture from both short- and long-term dangers. But they aren\u2019t optimistic its elimination will come soon.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>\u201cYou have to have the political will to bring these CAFOs [Confined Animal Feeding Operations] under regulatory oversight,\u201d said Robert Martin of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.<\/p>\n<p>In the absence of federal change, it isn\u2019t just programs like Milk with Dignity that serve as models for innovation. Some states are also testing ideas and retooling worker safety protections\u2014and showing what is possible. \u201cFederal labor standards are abysmal in a lot of ways, but we do see more promise with states kind of leading the charge to improve conditions for workers,\u201d said Jessica Maxwell, the executive director of the Workers\u2019 Center of New York.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cYou have to have the political will to bring these CAFOs under regulatory oversight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>States can choose to adopt stricter standards than those set by the federal government, and some do.<\/p>\n<p>Thirteen of the 22 states and territories that run their own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/enforcement\/directives\/CSP_01-00-005.pdf\">State Plan OSHA offices<\/a>\u2014including California, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky, Maryland, and Puerto Rico\u2014do not observe the federal \u201csmall farm\u201d exemption created by the OSHA budget rider. Because they allow OSHA oversight of farm operations that employ 10 or fewer non-family employees, they\u2019re able to more closely supervise animal-ag workers.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, 14 states\u2014Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin\u2014have passed legislation <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalaglawcenter.org\/collective-bargaining-rights-for-farmworkers\/\">guaranteeing collective bargaining rights for farmworkers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And some states\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/california-divide\/2022\/09\/newsom-farmworker-union-bill\/\">California<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/leg.colorado.gov\/bills\/sb21-087\">Colorado<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmworkerjustice.org\/new-york\/\">New York<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/02\/11\/oregon-farmworkers-overtime-pay-farm-bureau-california-washington-opposition-economics\/\">Oregon<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2019\/11\/06\/the-farmworkers-who-pick-your-food-dont-get-paid-overtime\/\">Washington<\/a>\u2014have passed laws that give agricultural workers more protections than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmworkerjustice.org\/advocacy_program\/us-labor-law-for-farmworkers\/\">federal standards<\/a>, addressing issues such as overtime pay, minimum wage, meal breaks, and rest periods.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, for example, New York passed the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.us8.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=09ca9ad4a8beca32dfc40c3bf&amp;id=e5ea4c31a4&amp;e=74e058d3ee\">Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act<\/a>, which took effect in January 2020. It grants farm workers overtime pay after 60 hours, a full day of rest each week, and disability and Paid Family Leave coverage, as well as unemployment benefits and other labor protections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hear from workers all the time who used to work seven days a week who now do get that day off, that day of rest,\u201d Maxwell said. And while the Workers\u2019 Center still hears about workarounds\u2014like farmers paying their workers in cash once they get over 60 hours to avoid the increased wage\u2014she said, \u201cin general, it\u2019s had a big impact in terms of starting a shift. And that speaks again to why we need regulation, because that does start to create change on a bigger level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-3-credit-vera-chang.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-3-credit-vera-chang.jpg\" alt=\"A dairy worker pours milk for a young calf. Photo credit: Vera Chang\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Photo credit: Vera Chang<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Two states have also expanded OSHA\u2019s powers through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/enforcement\/directives\/lep\">Local Emphasis Programs<\/a> that extend OSHA\u2019s authority in industry-specific ways. The programs began addressing worker safety in dairies beyond the federal standard in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/enforcement\/directives\/reg5_fy2017_dairy_CPL_04-00-LEP009_archived.pdf\">Wisconsin<\/a> in 2011 and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/enforcement\/directives\/2019-03.pdf\">New York<\/a> in 2014. Both allow the agency to make random, unannounced compliance inspections. A <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29926466\/\">study <\/a>found they raised producers\u2019 awareness of the workplace hazards and ways to mitigate them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe certainly heard from workers at the time that they were getting training that they\u2019ve never gotten before, that they were getting equipment that they\u2019ve never had before\u2014whether it was more appropriate length gloves, or boots, or even something as simple as an eye washing station in case of exposure to chemicals,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adelphi.edu\/faculty\/profiles\/profile.php?PID=0390\">Maggie Gray<\/a>, a political science professor at Adelphi University in New York who studies low-wage, immigrant agriculture workers. To increase worker safety, she said, \u201cOther states could also push for Local Emphasis Programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>A Culture of Safety\u2014What Farmers Say Has Worked<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> As individual states enact worker protections, industry pushback often follows. \u201cWhat you hear all the time is \u2018You can\u2019t do it, you\u2019re going to kill the industry,\u2019\u201d said Maxwell of increased worker protections. But that isn\u2019t true, she said.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>For example, while the U.S. Farm Bureau Federation and other industry players said lowering the overtime threshold in New York to 40 hours would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwnytv.com\/2022\/09\/30\/overtime-threshold-lowered-ny-farm-workers\/\">devastate the industry<\/a>, California\u2019s success in implementing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dir.ca.gov\/dlse\/Overtime-for-Agricultural-Workers.html\">a similar threshold reduction<\/a> proved the opposite.<\/p>\n<p>In a round of hearings in New York in January, California\u2019s success \u201callowed us to make the argument of, \u2018Look, the agricultural industry did not collapse. We don\u2019t see a huge shuttering of farms; we haven\u2019t seen a big layoff of workers,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cStates moving on worker protection allows other states to show proof that the industry will not collapse when you provide worker protection like the ag lobby says it will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Farmers and workers inside the Milk with Dignity program provide key insights into why worker-centered changes have worked.<\/p>\n<p>Matt Maxwell, who operates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newenglanddairy.com\/farm\/maxwells-neighborhood-farm\/\">Maxwell\u2019s Neighborhood Farm<\/a>, a third-generation dairy in Newport, Vermont, enrolled his operation in the Milk with Dignity program as soon as it was offered in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Before joining, the farm treated its workers well, he said. But he reported in the program\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/migrantjustice.net\/sites\/default\/files\/2020MDReport.pdf\">first biennial report<\/a> in 2020 that in adhering to the industry standard, the farm had unintentionally paid low wages and offered substandard housing. Milk with Dignity positioned the farm to increase its wages\u2014and improved \u201cboth the business and employee sides of the operation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince joining Milk with Dignity, our farm has maintained an 85 percent employee retention rate,\u201d Maxwell noted in the report. \u201cLess turnover has led to higher morale and greater workplace continuity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-4-credit-terry-allen.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-4-credit-terry-allen.jpg\" alt=\"A worker milking cows while wearing a Milk with Dignity sweatshirt. (Photo courtesy of Migrant Justice)\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>Photo courtesy of Migrant Justice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>He said the program also enabled his farm to make huge strides in communication with its employees. \u201cWhere before we may have had a company-wide meeting once a month, now they are held weekly,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cThe increased interaction has been a benefit to us both. Problems are identified earlier and corrections made where necessary.\u201d In addition to more open lines of communication, \u201ceveryone has a job description and has been trained on safety and procedural protocols.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement Gervais of the large, three-generation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newenglanddairy.com\/farm\/gervais-family-farm\/\">Gervais Family Farm<\/a> in Franklin County, Vermont said the program helped his farm respond to COVID and better address safety issues, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/milkwithdignity.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022_md_program_five-year_report.pdf\">2022 Milk with Dignity report<\/a>. In addition to coordinating employee vaccinations during the COVID outbreak, Milk with Dignity also helped create safety protocols, bilingual safety posters, and pamphlets for new employees.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Maxwell farm, the Gervais farm credits Milk with Dignity for improving its communication with workers. \u201cThat can be bridging the language barrier, or helping both sides negotiate conflicts if they arise,\u201d Gervais said in the report. Overall, \u201cMilk with Dignity has been a very positive program helping immigrant workers on my farm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For workers, the energy at dairies just feels different in the Milk with Dignity program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bosses have more trust in our work; they aren\u2019t always looking over our shoulders,\u201d Efrain said. \u201cI don\u2019t know exactly what the Milk with Dignity people told them, but it\u2019s really changed their mindset, whatever it is,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, I feel freer, I feel calmer, I feel safer at work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Efrain explained the improved safety response. On a snowy morning before the Milk with Dignity program existed, he was leading cows in from a corral to be milked when he slipped on the icy steps of the milking parlor. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel anything other than the pain when I landed, just excruciating pain on my left side,\u201d he said. He let his bosses know about his fall, he said, \u201cbut they didn\u2019t really care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because there was no one else to fill in for him, Efrain felt he had no other option but to continue milking the cows. \u201cTo be honest, at that time, we all worked with the fear that if you couldn\u2019t do your work, you would just get fired,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t bend over, and I couldn\u2019t turn to one side or the other,\u201d he said. For the next month, he worked in a back brace\u2014and finally started feeling some relief when a man came to his house to adjust his spine.<\/p>\n<p>When a broken metal gate fell on his foot at his current workplace, however, he was able to tend to his injury. His employer provided a first aid kit\u2014and then paid time off to recover.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cThe protocols farms follow aren\u2019t not cheap or easy, but farms are able to afford the changes through premiums paid on the milk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Still, getting animal-agriculture companies to sign onto worker-safety programs has proven difficult, because human rights often fall at the bottom of companies\u2019 priority lists. \u201cWe see focus on organic and environmental practices,\u201d Jessica Maxwell said, \u201cand workers\u2019 rights have really lagged in terms of getting the attention that it deserves in sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven Ben and Jerry\u2019s, which is a progressive company, it\u2019s not like they went out and created or supported a version of this program\u2014workers did it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see it over and over again, that corporations consistently resist this sort of change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Milk with Dignity is currently applying similar pressure to <a href=\"https:\/\/migrantjustice.net\/call-Hannaford-for-javier\">Hannaford Supermarkets<\/a> to get the New England and New York grocery chain to sign onto the program for its store-brand milk.\u00a0Although companies resist, the program has proven that farms are capable of complying with regulations when forced to, said Fritzsche of the MDSC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe protocols that farms follow as a consumer protection measure are strict. They\u2019re not cheap or easy to follow,\u201d he said, adding the premiums farms receive through the program help them afford the changes.<\/p>\n<h4>Changes at the Federal Level<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> A concern among worker advocates about the state-centered approach is that it doesn\u2019t reach workers in less progressive states. \u201cAt some point, we need that to shift to a federal level,\u201d Jessica Maxwell said.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Though most experts are also not optimistic that federal change will come soon, Martin of the Center for a Livable Future said the Biden administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2021\/07\/14\/just-a-few-companies-control-the-meat-industry-can-a-new-approach-to-monopolies-level-the-playing-field\/\">approach to monopolies<\/a>\u2014including those that control the meat and poultry industries and promote an anti-regulatory agenda\u2014is encouraging.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cThe source of most of the dysfunction in the animal ag industry is the concentrated economic and political power of the companies,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, when Joe Biden says he\u2019s going to look at antitrust and price fixing of the companies, that\u2019s a good thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin believes there OSHA should meanwhile step up inspections and enforcement to make sure existing rules are followed until additional legislation to protect workers can be passed. This includes providing training and instructions for personal protective equipment in the languages that workers actually speak, not just in English, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think any state is allocating enough financial and human resources to CAFO oversight,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIt\u2019s an across-the-board lack of oversight of these operations . . . [resulting in] a mistreatment of workers and the broader community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7144438\/\"> 2020 report<\/a> on the agency in the <em>American Journal of Public Health <\/em>suggested OSHA can also benefit from more standards-writing staff and a nimbler process by which to update its health and safety standards. Many OSHA safety standards, created in the 1970s, don\u2019t reflect the present, industrial conditions of animal agriculture. For example, 90 percent of the chemical exposure limits don\u2019t account for the majority of the chemicals in the present-day workplace.<\/p>\n<h4>Building Momentum, Pushing Forward<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Jessica Maxwell stressed that for improved regulations to be meaningful, however, the animal-agriculture industry needs to overhaul\u2014and slow down\u2014the way it operates, putting less emphasis on peak speed and efficiency. \u201cSome of the ways we do our agriculture have become so unsustainable that it\u2019s like we\u2019re putting Band-Aids on,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need more systemic change.\u201d<\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/publichealth\/crhd\/about\/facultyandstaff\/athena-ramos.html\">Dr. Athena Ramos<\/a>, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and principal author of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/325858540_Self-Reported_Occupational_Injuries_and_Perceived_Occupational_Health_Problems_among_Latino_Immigrant_Swine_Confinement_Workers_in_Missouri\">2018 study<\/a> of swine confinement workers in Missouri, hopes that as systemic changes take hold, researchers can collaborate with willing producers to fine-tune solutions to safety issues, including <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/15\/animal-agriculture-workers-say-they-cant-breath-respiratory-health-cafos-ppe\/\">workers\u2019 chronic respiratory problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ramos and her collaborators recommend baseline health screening to assess respiratory health as people are hired, for example, so that workers could be assigned to job sites that don\u2019t exacerbate preexisting health conditions, she said. Follow-up screenings throughout a worker\u2019s tenure can help detect changes in health and further inform assignments.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-image-caption align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-5-efrain.jpg\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-5-efrain.jpg\" alt=\"At right, Efrain, with his brother Ervin (at left), who works at the same dairy. Also pictured are Ervin's wife and daughter.\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>At right, Efrain, with his brother Ervin (at left), who works at the same dairy. Also pictured are Ervin&#8217;s wife and daughter.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>She also proposed farms conduct regular safety audits to check whether workers are using available personal protective equipment and donning it properly. And safety training\u2014or safety messaging\u2014should be offered throughout a worker\u2019s tenure, <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/08\/30\/pesticide-safety-labels-farmworker-health-safety-data-sheets-english-spanish\/\">in their primary language<\/a>, by a qualified and trained professional\u2014not just someone who happens to speak the language.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s about developing a culture of safety where worker health is prioritized at the same level as the animal health and well-being,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cContract growers face tremendous pressures. But we&#8217;ve got to find a way that we can balance the productivity and the bottom line with worker health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, workers like Efrain take solace in their gains. Since the Milk with Dignity program increased his pay and days off, Efrain has been able to start enjoying his life more. His brother Ervin got a job at the same dairy a few years after he did, and Ervin\u2019s wife was able to join him. The two recently had their first child.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVermont has been a beautiful place to live, and every year has been different and new,\u201d Efrain said. In the spring, \u201call the wildflowers come out, and you\u2019re surrounded by flowers. It\u2019s a very happy and pleasant area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He recently bought a car and can now leave the farm with friends to play soccer. \u201cI feel comfortable here,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel comfortable with the changes that have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As workers realize success\u2014at the state and local levels, and through industry-focused programs\u2014momentum builds. \u201cWorkers see that they&#8217;re able to make changes, and then able to benefit from those changes,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cAnd that creates momentum and empowerment to continue pushing forward and doing more.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cI feel comfortable here,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel comfortable with the changes that have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Such worker empowerment is one of the most important levers for creating change, she said. \u201cThe most protected worker is an informed and educated worker who feels like they have the support to speak out and advocate for themselves,\u201d said Maxwell.<\/p>\n<p>Another key is educating lawmakers\u2014and consumers\u2014about the conditions under which animal agriculture workers work. Changes come from people caring about the treatment of the workers behind their food and applying pressure to elected officials, according to Martin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPoliticians see the light when they begin to feel the heat,\u201d he said, and, in this case, \u201cthe heat comes from political activity and organization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Read the entire series <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/injured-and-invisible\/\">here<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/14\/injured-and-invisible-methodology\/\">our methodology here<\/a>, and check back <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/category\/investigations\/injured-invisible\/\">here<\/a> for our follow-up reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Gosia Wozniacka contributed reporting to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class='ctx-module-container ctx_default_placement ctx-clearfix'><\/div><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During his first few years in the country, Efrain, who has asked that we not use his last name for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities, never felt completely safe or secure in his job. That changed in 2018 when his current employer, a medium-sized Vermont dairy, joined Milk with Dignity, a program that sets [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":753,"featured_media":49769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3256,3259,43448,43396],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4453],"class_list":["post-49764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-welfare","category-food-and-farm-labor","category-injured-invisible","category-investigations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change | Civil Eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Civil Eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christina Cooke\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CivilEats\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CivilEats\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christina Cooke\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Christina Cooke\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1ed07450e99e0a70bb4d81040030dbe\"},\"headline\":\"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for&nbsp;Change\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\"},\"wordCount\":3370,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Animal Ag\",\"Food and Farm Labor\",\"Injured and Invisible\",\"Investigations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\",\"name\":\"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change | Civil Eats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00\",\"description\":\"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Photo credit: Vera Chang\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for&nbsp;Change\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\",\"name\":\"Civil Eats\",\"description\":\"Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Civil Eats\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":455,\"caption\":\"Civil Eats\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CivilEats\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/civileats\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1ed07450e99e0a70bb4d81040030dbe\",\"name\":\"Christina Cooke\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e22a54a1300d1d49bbd31fdb1a63d786\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cooke-headshot-2020-bw-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cooke-headshot-2020-bw-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Christina Cooke\"},\"description\":\"Christina Cooke is Civil Eats' associate editor. Based in North Carolina, she has also covered people, places, science, business, and culture for venues including The New Yorker, The New York Times, TheAtlantic.com, The Guardian, Oxford American, and High Country News. In the past, she has worked as a staff writer for the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee and a weekly paper in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of the documentary writing program at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies and the creative nonfiction writing MFA program at Portland State University, she teaches interviewing and nonfiction writing at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Find out more at www.christinacooke.com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/author\/ccooke\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change | Civil Eats","description":"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change","og_description":"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.","og_url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/","og_site_name":"Civil Eats","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637","article_published_time":"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Christina Cooke","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CivilEats","twitter_site":"@CivilEats","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Christina Cooke","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/"},"author":{"name":"Christina Cooke","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1ed07450e99e0a70bb4d81040030dbe"},"headline":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for&nbsp;Change","datePublished":"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/"},"wordCount":3370,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg","articleSection":["Animal Ag","Food and Farm Labor","Injured and Invisible","Investigations"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/","name":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for Change | Civil Eats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-18T09:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-26T17:52:51+00:00","description":"States are extending OSHA powers, overtime, and collective bargaining while labor-driven programs center workers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/221014-injured-and-invisible-solutions-milk-with-dignity-worker-rights-health-safety-animal-agriculture-practices-1-credit-vera-chang.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Photo credit: Vera Chang"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/11\/18\/absent-federal-oversight-of-animal-agriculture-safety-states-and-others-step-up-for-change\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Absent Federal Oversight of Animal Agriculture Safety, States and Others Step Up for&nbsp;Change"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","name":"Civil Eats","description":"Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization","name":"Civil Eats","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","width":800,"height":455,"caption":"Civil Eats"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637","https:\/\/x.com\/CivilEats","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/civileats\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1ed07450e99e0a70bb4d81040030dbe","name":"Christina Cooke","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/e22a54a1300d1d49bbd31fdb1a63d786","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cooke-headshot-2020-bw-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/cooke-headshot-2020-bw-150x150.jpg","caption":"Christina Cooke"},"description":"Christina Cooke is Civil Eats' associate editor. Based in North Carolina, she has also covered people, places, science, business, and culture for venues including The New Yorker, The New York Times, TheAtlantic.com, The Guardian, Oxford American, and High Country News. In the past, she has worked as a staff writer for the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee and a weekly paper in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of the documentary writing program at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies and the creative nonfiction writing MFA program at Portland State University, she teaches interviewing and nonfiction writing at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Find out more at www.christinacooke.com.","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/author\/ccooke\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/753"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49764"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50615,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49764\/revisions\/50615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49764"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=49764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}