In May 2019 there appeared a blip of hope for agricultural workers in the American dairy industry. Fair Trade USA, the group behind the ‘Fair Trade’ stamp found on thousands of consumer goods in American supermarkets, announced that it was considering expanding its certification system to include dairy products. Our treasured milks, cheeses and yoghurts would finally be endowed with their famous green label, ostensibly guaranteeing – by monitoring and compliance – that their production followed the organisation’s labour and human rights standards.
According to Fair Trade’s proponents, this extension of the consumer-renowned labelling system has the potential to alleviate much of the misery found in the US dairy industry today. Egregious wages and working conditions are the norm for much of dairy’s majority immigrant workforce, a trend that is spurred on by the pressures of fluctuating prices and increasing debt on farmers and the race to the bottom that accompanies a rapidly monopolising industry.
Dairy is among the most dangerous sectors for workers in US agriculture, with dairy workers suffering some of the highest rates of fatalities and injuries. Animal and equipment handling, operating machinery, and exposure to toxic chemicals on dairy farms make for hazardous work. One 2018 study of 100 workers on Vermont dairy farms found that, even in a state less marred by the industry’s debt cycles and consolidations, only 34% had access to first aid equipment on the job. What’s more, 77% had experienced machinery-related or repetitive stress injuries and 93% had suffered illnesses or injuries from working with chemicals. An earlier survey in 2014 had found that 40% of workers were paid below the state minimum wage, while another study in New York State found that two-thirds of dairy workers reported one or multiple injuries, 68% of which required medical attention.
