Florida farmworkers have Agriculture Commissioner Fried looking out for their interests during pandemic
Farmworkers are essential workers, period. They are critical to feeding 150 million Americans annually. Our society would crumble without their hard work. Our leaders need to treat them accordingly.
Fortunately, one Florida leader has done just that – Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, Nikki Fried.
Throughout the pandemic, farmworkers have been on the front lines, keeping our food supply safe and secure despite the greater challenges the pandemic has posed. Farmworkers are among those most at risk of death from COVID-19. In fact, a recent study found they face a 39% increased risk of death from COVID-19, and for Latino farmworkers, the risk is even higher at 59%. This heightened vulnerability is compounded by the fact that farmworkers also suffer respiratory illnesses at elevated rates and often lack health insurance, with less than half of farmworkers having medical coverage.
All this creates barriers to accessing timely medical care at a time when it could not be more important.
Thankfully, Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) have worked throughout the pandemic to support the farmworkers.
In April 2020, Fried sent a report of recommendations to the governor requesting access to adequate personal protective equipment, testing, healthcare and social distancing on behalf of Florida’s farmworkers — the only statewide leader to respond to their requests for help.
Fried also launched a bilingual video series on COVID-19 prevention, understanding the importance of education. Her department coordinated with state and local officials to provide testing for farmworkers in key agricultural counties, including MiamiDade, Hendry, Glades, Hillsborough and Collier.
Once COVID-19 vaccines became available, her department worked with state and local partners to make them accessible to farmworkers and launch a bilingual education campaign encouraging farmworkers and the agriculture community to get vaccinated.
The commissioner’s efforts to support farmworkers go beyond COVID-19. With agriculture workers facing a risk of heat-related death 20 times higher than the general workforce, her department launched a heat-illness safety campaign to raise awareness and encourage prevention efforts.
Most significantly was her department’s decision this year denying the use of aldicarb on citrus crops in Florida. It’s a pesticide with ingredients the World Health Organization has deemed “extremely hazardous” and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found to cause adverse human health effects. With this decision, Fried made clear that protecting farmworkers and human health must be prioritized over all else.
There is no doubt that she understands that helping farmworkers, vital to one of the most important industries in our state, is simply the right thing to do.
I was humbled to stand by the commissioner this summer as she announced the creation of Florida’s first Farmworker Advisory Council within FDACS. For too long, farmworkers had been without a voice before the Florida Cabinet since the previous statewide farmworker advisory council, established in 1979 by then-Gov. Bob Graham, was dissolved.
Fried has stood up for Florida’s farmworker community when we needed support most, a champion for those who help feed our communities and drive our economy. She is the only statewide elected official that understands how vital farmworkers are to all of our lives. Recognizing that she is also the only advocate for them in Tallahassee, she has taken on that responsibility proudly. We thank her for putting Florida first by ensuring we also put our farmworkers first.