DOL Tops 3,000 Pages of Regulations in 18 Months

The U.S. Department of Labor today released yet another rule that mires farm families in excessive compliance costs while disregarding privacy concerns for farmers and their employees. With this addition, DOL sets itself apart as the agency most committed to burying farmers and other H-2A employers in a mountain of regulations. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on today’s rule and DOL’s track record.

“Farmers appreciate the men and women who work on their farms, and we don’t take lightly the responsibility to ensure their safety and protection. We wholeheartedly support clamping down on labor abuses, but this rule instead assumes all farmers are guilty until proven innocent and that’s not right.

“With this 600-page rule, the Department of Labor has issued a stunning 3,000 pages of new regulations in just 18 months, which farmers are somehow supposed to navigate. Impossible.

“In truth, the workers most supported by DOL are the lawyers needed to interpret the tsunami of new rules that keep moving the goalposts for farmers.”