Are U.S. farms in danger as the federal labor force shrinks? : NPR

Mary Louise Kelly, host:

The Trump administration says food security is national security. However, some say that Trump's spending on federal labor puts American farms at risk. They warn that long-term elimination of diseases may recover, leading to higher food prices and barriers to farm exports. Andrea Hsu of NPR studied these issues.

Andrea Hsu, Byline: Ashley Randle is the fifth generation dairy farmer. She also leads the Massachusetts Agricultural Resources Department. They are not a huge agricultural state, but they do have some famous exports.

Ashley Randle: Like cranberries and seafood.

HSU: In order to bring these goods out of the country, they need federal employees to prove their health. The USDA’s animal and plant health inspection service — or Aphis — has done some of these and can also help the state cope with pests and diseases that can eliminate crops and spread through livestock.

Randall: It is very important to be agile and respond as quickly as possible.

HSU: But Randall said that if farmers find a sick cattle leave, they will call the USDA veterinarian, which is a government proposal to resign by September. In fact, she heard that many of the USDA's heads were withdrawn.

Randle: Our primary contact (only at the state level) is no longer our contact.

HSU: A total of 1,300 people have resigned from Affiz since February. Those who are still there, even those who choose to leave, are afraid to speak out. But Kevin Shea kept saying aloud and he didn't back down.

Kevin Shea: It's shocking.

HSU: Shea has worked at USDA for 45 years, most of which are at Aphis. He retired in January.

Shea: Aphis cannot work with 1,300 people. I can't believe they hardly want to leave.

Hu: He said many people were scared to leave, telling them that they might be fired, or they would lose civil servant protections, making them more prone to any reason. A USDA spokesman told NPR Aphis that crucial frontline employees ensured their positions were safe, but Shea said people had lost trust. It feels like the new government does not understand Aphis's performance.

SHEA: This is actually keeping pests and diseases away from American agriculture.

HSU: Shea says they have succeeded over the past few decades.

Shea: This gives us a trade advantage with the rest of the world. And, despite recent grocery prices, it still creates a rich, yet remains the cheapest food supply in the world.

HSU: But you can see how to change quickly. Every year, bird flu continues to wipe out tens of millions of chickens, causing egg prices to soar. Citrus green disease is caused by sap insects and has wiped out most of Florida's orange crops.

Shea: But we are working to save California. If we don't have a fully functioning Aphis, it will be at risk.

hsu: Then there are diseases where aphis has been eradicated, such as New World Screwworm, a parasite that accumulates in open wounds of animals or people. It resurfaced in Mexico. Due to this threat, the United States recently stopped importing live animals on the southern border. Still, there are other ways to get in, Shea says.

Shea: It's so intimate.

HSU: These concerns are shared by Beth Thompson, a South Dakota veterinarian. But she still insists on looking at the impact of USDA changes.

Beth Thompson: We're still waiting, what's next?

HSU: She heard that some of the core work of Aphis will continue.

Thompson: Imports and exports will remain their priority.

HSU: But some programs may disappear. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she is working to make the USDA more effective for the American people. She lifted up the recruitment freeze to supplement some of the characters that had just been vacated. Kevin Shea wants to know, where is that?

Shea: If this administration decides that they are willing to take risks with smaller Aphis, well, that's your privilege.

Hu: But he said encouraging nearly every employee to resign may end up hurting farmers and ranchers, while Americans rely on the food system.

NPR News Andrea Hsu.

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