New Federal Rules for Goat and Sheep Herders
Creating and Controlling Markets Through Regulation
New federal rules covering raising goats and sheep and the importation of foreign, non-immigrant herdsman were published in the Federal Register, August 4, 2011 and creates a new definition for the nanny state. The rules spell out the requirements for food, housing, safety and sanitation to assure the foreign non-immigrants being imported by the big farmer/rancher are comfortable and well paid.
Requirements include:
- The employer must provide each shepherd a cell phone, satellite phone, or radio transmitter at no charge.
- The description of anticipated hours of work must state “on call for up to 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.”
- The employer must provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage in all states where the sheepherding and/or goatherding work will be performed.
- The employer must provide workers with three meals a day without charge.
- The employer must cover all travel costs to and from the place of employment and pay the government-specified prevailing wage.
The housing (tents, cabins, shelters) standards alone include:
- II. Mobile Housing Standards
- A. Housing Site
- B. Water Supply
- C. Excreta and Liquid Waste Disposal
- D. Housing Structure
- E. Heating
- F. Lighting
- G. Bathing, Laundry and Hand Washing
- H. Food Storage
- I. Cooking and Eating Facilities
- J. Garbage and Other Refuse
- K. Insect and Rodent Control
- L. Sleeping Facilities
- M. Fire, Safety and First Aid
These rules pertain to importation of foreign workers under the H-2A program of the Department of Labor. The H-2A program has been used by many corporations for at least 20 years whereby they bring in foreigners (engineers, computer specialists etc) and have them trained by the American worker. The foreigner stays tax free, the corporation gets special tax write-offs (extra profit) and the American workers that trained them is replaced by them, saving the company even more money.
Thousands of farms with goats and sheep dot nearly every state and it is growing faster due to the demand for goat meat, milk and cheese, a daily staple all over the world and for rising Arab, Asian, Indian and African immigrant populations in the U.S.
Nearly all the herds are in the range of 20 to 30 and typical large herds range from 200 or 300. Maybe that is the problem: there are too many independent ranchers and farmers out there and the federal government wants to step in and help before problems occur.
Most likely these are part of the plans for corporations to partner with USDA and Department of Labor to create sheep and goat factory farms like the dairy, hog, chicken and egg producers . . . and bleat the small producers to death. This will create another anticompetitive controlled market through regulations for meeting domestic demand for goat and sheep milk, cheese and meat for big corporations . . . and for export. I’m just sayin.
This appears to be in line with the new White House Rural Council formed a couple weeks ago consisting of all the heads of all the agencies, including USDA, HHS, EPA, DOL and Homeland Security and Department of Defense.
Having lived in California most of my life, and seeing the conditions of the famr laborers, I say that anything that can improve their living conditions is to be applauded.
I doubt that any small farmers are using immigrants as shepherds. So, I’m not sure what kind of comment to make. Our two dozen sheep are cared for by my family.
I should make that clear … this is for the big farmers . . . how many huge goat and sheep farms are there– I do not know of any. So this indicates that some are in the works. Just supposin.
ANYTHING? Even over-regulation to the point of driving the little guy out of business? Read Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”. If you can see past the authors socialistic tendencies… oh, wait… uh oh.:(
I don’t understand why the special rules for immigrants. American farm hands don’t get free room and board, free meals,free cell phone etc. What’s up with this?
That’s just it, these are not for immigrants, these are for non-immigrants who are being imported (guest workers). As I suspect, there may be some really big goat and sheep farms coming. Subsidized also?
We also, care for our small, much loved, dairy goat herd ourselves. Couldn’t afford to pay someone else to do it and not sure that I’d trust them anyway.
we don’t treat ourselves that well…as the immigrant workers are to be treated. mebbe we don’t get it?
The other problem is that those who are making the rules in ag as a whole probably haven’t a clue as to what goes on at a family farm and have probably never set foot on a real farm.
Love to know how many on these committees have ever actually taken care of the the livestock they profess to dictate to us about. (And a livestock warehouse farm doesn’t count!)