ARLINGTON, VA –The Meat Institute today supported House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson’s (R-PA) bill, the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, to help address a persistent shortage of workers in US agriculture.

“Chairman Thompson has worked hard to address a chronic shortage of ag labor, one of the top concerns facing the meat and poultry industry,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “We thank him for his leadership and his important recognition that the meat and poultry processing sector must have access to labor for the benefit of the entire value chain from livestock producers to consumers. His bill allows meat and poultry processors to participate in the H2-A visa program. This is a good first step to help packers and processors keep the rural economy moving and to ensure American consumers have access to affordable food.”

The legislation was a result of the work of the House Committee on Agriculture’s bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group. In 2023, Julie Anna Potts briefed this Working Group on the labor challenges facing the meat and poultry processing sector.

A summary of the bill is here. Bill text is here.

About the Meat Institute

The Meat Institute represents the full community of people and companies who make the majority of meat American families rely on every day. The Meat Institute’s hands-on regulatory and technical expertise, proactive advocacy, unique convening power, collaboration within and beyond animal agriculture, and sector-leading continuous improvement initiatives drive relationships and resources that ensure meat continues to be a vital, trusted pillar of healthy diets and thriving communities for generations to come. To learn more, visit: MeatInstitute.org.