{"id":812,"date":"2024-06-24T10:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmstand.chee.studio\/why-big-ag-makes-children-do-their-dirty-work\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T22:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T22:00:37","slug":"why-big-ag-makes-children-do-their-dirty-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmstand.org\/es\/why-big-ag-makes-children-do-their-dirty-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Big Ag Makes Children Do Their Dirty Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Por <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/farmstand.org\/es\/team\/sylvia-regan\/\">Sylvia Regan<\/a><\/strong><br>Paralegal de investigaci\u00f3n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our food system should nourish kids and make sure they grow up to be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Children need healthy food to grow. They also need sufficient sleep, access to education, and responsible adults around them to keep them safe from dangerous situations and bad actors.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of kids who work in agriculture and food processing, the American food system is a source of harm, exhaustion, and exploitation. Agricultural and meatpacking jobs are some of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/charts\/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries\/civilian-occupations-with-high-fatal-work-injury-rates.htm\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">most dangerous<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and demanding jobs around. And yet <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Big Ag employs hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S.\u2014some legally and other illegally\u2014to keep their operations running<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Children, often migrant children working to help feed their families, end up working instead of going to school, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/18\/magazine\/child-labor-dangerous-jobs.html\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">enduring horrific conditions at work<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and often suffering gruesome injuries that will follow them throughout their lives.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Our government should work harder to protect kids<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Child labor violations abound in the food system. Analysis by the Food &amp; Environment Reporting Network of Department of Labor data from 2018 through 2022 found that out of 16,000 total violations, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thefern.org\/2023\/04\/the-child-workers-who-feed-you\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">12,000 child labor violations occurred in the food industry<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"520\" height=\"346\" src=\"https:\/\/farmstand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PSSI-child-labor-e1718991555767.jpg\" alt=\"A child photographed by the Department of Labor working for Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI) cleaning a slaughterhouse. The child is wearing a green hard hat that says PSSI, a dark green waterproof jacket, yellow arm sleeves, and gloves. The child's face has been blurred.\" class=\"wp-image-815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/farmstand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PSSI-child-labor-e1718991555767.jpg 520w, https:\/\/farmstand.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/PSSI-child-labor-e1718991555767-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Investigators photographed this child working as a cleaner in a JBS slaughterhouse. The employer, Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI), illegally employed more than 100 children in dangerous jobs. Photo: U.S. Department of Labor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Biden administration has ramped up investigations into child labor in food and other industries, but when violators are caught, the maximum fine of $15,000 per child is barely a slap on the wrist. And outside of meatpacking, the laws are actually written specifically to let children as young as 12 work in many agriculture jobs, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/06\/12\/1181472559\/child-labor-farms-agriculture-human-rights-congress\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">even when they are too young to legally work other, less dangerous jobs<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is a dangerous feature of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.farmworkerjustice.org\/blog-post\/agricultural-exceptionalism-a-history-of-discrimination-against-farmworkers-in-labor-laws-results-in-poverty-for-farmworkers\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">agricultural exceptionalism<\/span><\/a> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">going back to the New Deal, when F.D.R. struck a deal with Southern Democrats to exempt farmworkers and other predominantly Black workers from protective labor laws, allowing the southern plantation economy to continue to exploit Black workers.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, Big Ag continues to use agricultural exceptionalism to exploit communities of color, migrants, children, and other historically marginalized groups. The CAFO system\u2014the industrial system of raising thousands of animals in close confinement\u2014relies on cutting costs at any opportunity, especially labor costs. Since CAFOs and meatpacking plants are often sited in rural areas, and Big Ag has seriously contributed to diminishing job prospects in those rural communities, workers often don\u2019t have other options for employment and may be more willing to accept poor and sometimes illegal working conditions. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Farmworkers and meatpacking workers, many of whom are undocumented or on restrictive visas, are particularly vulnerable to abuse from their employers and may fear retaliation for speaking up about violations, or not be aware of their rights. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Then in July 2023, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/16-year-old-boy-dies-accident-mississippi-poultry-plant-rcna94963\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">a 16-year-old boy from Guatemala died on the job<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> at a Mar-Jac plant in Mississippi. OSHA found the company directly responsible the death of Duvan Tomas Perez, who was a middle school student, but the company contests the conclusions. In a move that Big Ag loves to use to deflect blame, Mar-Jac claims that a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/four-minors-found-working-mar-jac-alabama-poultry-plant-rcna152448\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">third-party staffing company<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> was responsible for verifying the child\u2019s work eligibility. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">By using third-party companies to staff incredibly dangerous jobs, meat giants like JBS, Perdue, Cargill, and Seaboard can deny that <\/span><\/b><b><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">they <\/span><\/i><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">are responsible for <\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/grand-island-us-department-of-labor-health-business-children-3afa3ace009791b8cf29fa91f2a8e6e4\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">employing hundreds of children<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> when they get caught with <\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/illegal-child-labor-slaughterhouses-8f95aef240050c6910aa8e1b6bce1c6a\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">kids cleaning their meat bandsaws<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2024, Mar-Jac Poultry is still shamelessly employing kids in their plants to do dangerous work. This time, the poultry company got caught <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/four-minors-found-working-mar-jac-alabama-poultry-plant-rcna152448\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">employing four minors as young as 16<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> who they had directly hired. With no other company to blame, Mar-Jac\u2019s lawyers have resorted to talking out of both sides of their mouth. Somehow, the company claims their policy is not to hire anyone<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">under 18 <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">and also<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> that these four minors were lawfully employed to do specific tasks that are permissible for minors to perform in slaughterhouses. It\u2019s clear that when there\u2019s money to be made, Mar-Jac, like the other meatpacking companies that dominate our food system, cannot be trusted to follow the law and keep children safe.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kids deserve better. Our government needs to prioritize child safety by enforcing existing labor laws and ending its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/future-perfect\/2023\/8\/31\/23852325\/farming-myths-agricultural-exceptionalism-pollution-labor-animal-welfare-laws\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">policy of agricultural exceptionalism<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to instead rein in Big Ag. USDA must do more for workers and children. Last year, the USDA secretary sent a letter to the biggest meat producers in the country asking them to examine if<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">there is illegal child labor in their supply chains and to consider stronger standards for their subcontractors. The shocking behavior by Mar-Jac and countless other examples show us that this approach is not enough. There is no question of \u201cif.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The current U.S. food system is built on the exploitation of workers. That\u2019s why we fight in courtrooms and communities across the country for <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/farmstand.org\/es\/workerjustice\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">justicia laboral<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Children, especially the migrant children that Big Ag depends so heavily on, are some of the most vulnerable and exploited members of our society. It is unacceptable that these Big Ag companies knowingly endanger kids in order to make their money. At FarmSTAND, we\u2019re working with allies across the food system to transform our food system to put people ahead of profits. We\u2019re fighting for a just future, where all our children can thrive.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:278}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our food system should nourish kids and make sure they grow up to be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Children need healthy food to grow. They also need sufficient sleep, access to education, and responsible adults around them to keep them safe from dangerous situations and bad actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of kids who work in agriculture and food processing, the American food system is a source of harm, exhaustion, and exploitation.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[112],"tags":[51,27,59,60,40,41],"issue":[17],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","tag-cafo","tag-cafos","tag-child-labor","tag-meatpacking","tag-slaughterhouse","tag-workers","issue-worker-justice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why Big Ag Makes Children Do Their Dirty Work - Farmstand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of kids who work in agriculture and food processing, the American food system is a source of harm, exhaustion, and exploitation. Agricultural and meatpacking jobs are some of the most dangerous and demanding jobs around. And yet Big Ag employs hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S.\u2014some legally and other illegally\u2014to keep their operations running. 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And yet Big Ag employs hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S.\u2014some legally and other illegally\u2014to keep their operations running. 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