Date of publication: September 23, 2009
Source: US Department of Agriculture
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 2009-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that he has appointed 13 members to the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products, which was established by the 2008 Farm Bill.
"Child and forced labor remain significant problems in many parts of the world," said Vilsack. "The expertise and unique knowledge provided by these members will be instrumental in our efforts to reduce the use of these forms of labor in agricultural industries benefiting from these practices."
The group will develop and make recommendations to Vilsack regarding guidelines to reduce the likelihood that agricultural products imported into the United States are produced with the use of child or forced labor. The recommendations will be submitted by June 2010. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service is the lead agency. No later than one year after the group's submission of recommendations, USDA will release guidelines for a voluntary initiative to enable entities to address child and forced labor issues. The guidelines will be published in the Federal Register and available for public comment for 90 days.
The consultative group consists of both government and non-government members, including two members from USDA; one from the U.S. Department of Labor; and one from the U.S. Department of State. Non-government members include three from the agriculture-related private sector; two members from institutions of higher education and research institutions; one member to represent independent, third-party certification services for labor standards; and three members from non-profit organizations with expertise on international child labor issues. Members will serve until December 2012.
Members include:
Consultative Group Government Members
- Burnham John "Bud" Philbrook (Chairperson), Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Ann Wright, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Sandra Polaski, Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor
- Karen Stewart, Assistant Secretary (Acting), Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State
Members for the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products
- Bama Athreya, Executive Director, International Labor Rights Forum, Washington, D.C., Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
- Dorianne Beyer, Agricultural Labor Consultant, Social Accountability International, New York, N.Y., Certification Organization
- Eric Edmonds, Associate Professor of Economics, Dartmouth University, Hanover, N.H., Academic/Research
- Kimberly Elliott, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development, Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute, Washington, D.C., Academic/Research
- Bill Guyton, President, World Cocoa Foundation, Washington, D.C., Agricultural Enterprise
- Dennis Macray, Director, Ethical Sourcing and Global Responsibility, Starbucks Coffee Co.,
- Seattle, Wash., Agricultural Enterprise
- Edward Potter, Director, Global Workplace Rights, Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, Ga., Agricultural Enterprise
- Margaret Roggensack, Policy Director, Free the Slaves, Washington, D.C., Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
- Auret Van Heerden, President and CEO, Fair Labor Association, Washington, D.C., Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
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