Worried that changes made by the Department of Labor to the Special Procedures of the H-2A program will harm sheep producers, Wyoming Senator Michael Enzi has written a letter to the Department expressing his concern.
The letter (READ IT HERE) explains that Training and Employment Guidance Letters published in the Federal Register on August 4, 2011 dealing with the Immigration and Nationality Act were written without stakeholder input and cause significant challenges for employers in the open range livestock industry.
Among Enzi’s concerns are new definitions for housing requirements for herders. While guidelines concerning the use of mobile housing for open range occupations have remained unchanged for 22 years, the latest letter sets new limitations on what has been done historically.
Enzi concludes his letter by encouraging the Department to allow for greater stakeholder participation in the future.
© Northern Ag Network 2011
Haylie Shipp
