NPPC Pleased House Labor Bill Addresses Pork Producers’ Workforce Shortage & Other Priorities
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 30, 2026 – The National Pork Producers Council, representing America’s 60,000-plus pork producers, applauds House Agriculture Committee Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) for his introduction of the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, which incorporates NPPC recommendations that allow producers to utilize the H-2A visa program.
“Agriculture needs a strong—and reliable—workforce. For pork producers, one giant step in the right direction means expanding the H-2A visa program to include year-round agricultural industries like ours,” said NPPC President Rob Brenneman, a pork producer from Washington County, Iowa. “Thank you, Chairman Thompson, for listening to our ideas and solutions for rectifying our severe workforce shortage.”
Current federal law limits H-2A immigrant farm workers to temporary and seasonal work, excluding pork producers—and other year-round agricultural industries—from using the program.
In addition to expanding the H-2A visa program, the bill:
- Modifies what is considered “agriculture labor or services” to address the needs of the sector, including certain meat processing activities, and transfers the authority to further define this term to the Secretary of Agriculture
- Codifies Adverse Effect Wage Rate calculations standards to lower costs and provide stability in farmworker pay rates
- Streamlines the program through the allowance of multi-year housing certifications and lowers costs by allowing maximum daily housing charges that employers can deduct from workers’ wages
- Establishes one streamlined H-2A application processing system through the creation of an internet-based electronic portal
Despite higher wages and competitive benefits, pork production employment has declined the past five years and is one of the many hurdles producers face when feeding the nation and world.
Chairman Thompson’s legislation took recommendations from the bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group, with which NPPC has worked closely. NPPC will continue to advocate for solutions for pork producers’ workforce challenges.