Washington growers wait for regulatory relief
With a high percentage of farmworkers vaccinated, Washington state agricultural groups are waiting on the state to update its costly COVID-19-related housing regulations.
State officials have told agriculture leaders that all businesses in the state can follow the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on COVID-19, said Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. For example, that will mean fully vaccinated workers won’t have to wear masks in packing facilities, he said.
However, the state had yet to clarify as of May 27 the status of some rules, especially related to housing.
“We’re still waiting for updates to the state emergency housing rules and the more specific rules for agriculture,” DeVaney said.
“We’re told that we’ll be able to follow the CDC rules, but it’s taking some time to get them all conforming to the same standards, which is a little frustrating and causing some confusion. But we are told to expect those shortly.”
The state’s housing rule applies to all state-licensed temporary worker housing, which includes all H2-A workers in addition to many domestic workers as well.
Exactly what the housing rules may require, DeVaney said, is the biggest concern for growers at this point.
“There are a lot of workers who are really impatient to be able to go back into town to do their shopping, interact with other groups, once they’ve been vaccinated,” he said.
Earlier in the week, Washington Farm Bureau chief executive John Stuhlmiller and Wafla executive director Dan Fazio issued a statement that criticized Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, for a “double standard” that appeared to exclude growers from regulatory relief.
“As the 2021 harvest season launches, this double standard for the agricultural community is not based on current science, is creating widespread confusion and is financially catastrophic,” the statement said. “Farmers across the state have been leading a comprehensive worker safety program focused on widespread testing and vaccination. As a result, the CDC has recognized that farmworker facilities in Washington state are three times safer than local communities, achieving a nearly 100% vaccination rate.”
Last fall, the Northwest Horticultural Council said the tree fruit industry in the Northwest estimated that apple growers have lost nearly $174 million due to the impact of COVID-19 on the marketplace, while pear growers have lost $6 million.
Growers estimated at the beginning of apple and pear harvest last fall that labor shortages due to COVID-19 – from ill workers or bringing in fewer H-2A workers than what is needed to grow and harvest the crop due to growers’ inability to provide housing that meets the social distancing requirements – would cost growers an additional $11 million to $23 million from acres left unharvested, or where delays in pruning or thinning affected the size and grade of the crop.
On the packing side, the council said industry estimates for losses related to COVID-19 regulations run in the millions.
