Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety, led Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act and Agricultural Worker Justice Act, a pair of bills to support workers in the agricultural industry and uplift small, family farms across the United States. The Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act aims to create a level playing field for farmers and consumers by weakening the hold consolidated interests have on the agricultural economy. The Agricultural Worker Justice Act would require major food companies to provide decent wages and safe working conditions to do business with the federal government.
“Small and family farms are at the heart of Vermont’s economy and culture. Without them, Vermont wouldn’t be the place we know and love,” said Senator Welch. “But rapid consolidation has jeopardized the well-being and vitality of farms across America—we can’t let that happen. We also need urgent, commonsense safeguards to protect workers in the agricultural industry who face hazardous and exploitative working conditions.”
The Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The legislation is endorsed by the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA), the Health, Environment, Agriculture, and Labor (HEAL) Food Alliance, National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
“For too long, our food system has rewarded large corporations while squeezing the workers and small farmers who feed our communities,” said Senator Booker. “These bills are about restoring fairness to our food system, addressing decades of consolidation, protecting family farms in New Jersey and across the nation, standing up for workers, and ensuring that people, not corporate profits, always come first.”
“Multinational food and agriculture corporations are raking in billions of dollars at the expense of farmers, workers, consumers, and our future. While their top executives and shareholders profit, consumers face rising grocery prices and farmers and ranchers teeter on the verge of bankruptcy,” said Judith McGeary, Executive Director, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA). “The Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act stops consolidation from getting even worse through a moratorium on future corporate mergers in the sector. It also makes crucial policy changes that farmers have long asked for — including the restoration of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling for beef, greater investment in local food systems and livestock infrastructure, and funding that helps socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers have a fair chance to make a living raising food for their communities."
Learn more about the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers & Ranchers Act and view a section-by-section summary of the bill. Read and download the full text of the legislation here.
The Agricultural Worker Justice Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Booker, Sanders, John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The bill is endorsed by the HEAL Food Alliance and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
“The people who put food on our table deserve more than just our gratitude. They deserve fair pay, safe working conditions, and respect,” said Senator Fetterman. “I’m proud to work alongside my colleagues to support the workers not only in our Commonwealth, but across the country.”
“Farmworkers are the backbone of our nation’s economy,” said Senator Wyden. “The workers that put in hours each day to keep farms running, harvest our food and help get it to our grocery stores and dinner tables are the real power behind our nation’s agricultural industry, and I’m proud to support this bill that will help protect this essential workforce and ensure they’re earning the wage they deserve.”
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture spends billions of dollars every year buying food, and that food should not come from companies that mistreat their workers. The Agricultural Worker Justice Act ensures that food and agricultural companies that exploit workers cannot do so on the dime of American taxpayers,” said Milton Jones, International President, UFCW. “Food workers are critical to the health of our nation and deserve fair wages and safe working conditions. How we spend our tax dollars shows our values as a country, which is why the UFCW is proud to support legislation that promotes good jobs for food workers, including hundreds of thousands of UFCW members.”
Learn more about the Agricultural Worker Justice Act and view a section-by-section summary of the bill. Read and download the full text of the legislation here.
Senator Welch has championed bipartisan and bicameral legislation to support the farmers and ranchers who feed America’s families, including the Milk From Family Dairies Act, Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, Fair Credit for Farmers Act, Freedom for Agricultural Repair and Maintenance Act (FARM Act), Capital for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Act, Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act, Honor Farmer Contracts Act, and the Farm Ownership Improvement Act.
7.20.2026. WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch
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Vermont Business Magazine