Obama administration withdraws farm child labor proposal after wave of internet outrage

Saturday, April 28, 2012 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: family farms, labor laws, children

(NaturalNews) A proposal by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) that would have restricted children under the age of 16 from performing certain routine chores on family farms has been officially revoked. According to The Daily Caller, which originally broke the story, a groundswell of public outcry that occurred after the story went "viral" ultimately led to the decision, which was announced late Thursday evening.

Traditionally, children of farmers have always been involved with helping out around the farm, whether it is feeding the animals, cleaning up after them, or helping to grow and harvest crops. This is why it took the public by surprise to learn that DoL, under the direction of the Obama administration, had planned to outlaw children under the age of 16 from doing this type of work.

As we reported yesterday, the DoL rules would have exempted children working on their own family farms from the new requirements. However, the entire structure of how children learn about agriculture would have changed dramatically regardless of the exemption, as the federal government intended to seize control of agriculture education programs as well as restrict who could legally participate in them.

"The decision to withdraw this rule -- including provisions to define the 'parental exemption' -- was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms," says a DoL press release issued Thursday evening. "To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration."

You can view the official DoL press release here:
http://www.dol.gov

The decision is great news for the thousands of young children who participate in programs like 4-H and FFA that provide agricultural education and immersion for the next generation of American farmers. DoL's proposals would have eliminated certification for 4-H and FFA, according to The Daily Caller, and replaced them with state-run agricultural education.

"I am pleased to hear the Obama administration is finally backing away from its absurd 85-page proposal to block youth from participating in family farm activities and ultimately undermine the very fabric of rural America," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). "The Obama DoL's youth farm labor rule is a perfect example of what happens when government gets too big."

Sources for this article include:

http://dailycaller.com

https://www.naturalnews.com/035701_family_farms_child_labor_laws.html