US drops additional regulation for child farm workers

MSNBC is reporting that the US government has dropped plans to further regulate child labour on US farms. The abandoned proposal would have made it made it illegal for paid workers under 16 to use powered equipment and for paid workers under 18 to work in silos, feedlots and grain elevators. These restrictions would not have applied to child worker on their parents' farm.

Intense opposition from the farm lobby stopped the proposal and the Obama administration has indicated it will not re-open the issue. Currently, children working on farms are four times more likely to die on the job than children working in all other industries combined.

-- Bob Barnetson