Finch Stands Up For New York’s Family Farms

June 9, 2009

Assemblyman Gary D. Finch (R,C,I – Springport) today joined colleagues from his Assembly Minority Conference in celebration of Dairy Day in the well of the Legislative Office Building. The day was not all positive, however. Finch and his colleagues also stood up in opposition to recently passed legislation that has the potential to shut down small family farms across New York.

“Dairy Day is usually a celebration of all of the wonderful products that dairy farmers provide for us,” said Finch. “While I was pleased to meet with many distributors of dairy products and enjoy the festivities, I felt there was an air of concern caused by yesterday’s passage of such destructive farm legislation.”

The “Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Act,” which passed yesterday in the Assembly, will further impose burdensome mandates on small farms and will considerably increase the cost of doing business. The New York Farm Bureau is strongly opposed to this legislation, and estimates that it would cost New York’s family farms over $200 million per year. In a time when farmers are already facing economic hardships, this will inevitably force many farms out of business, noted Finch.

“I join my colleagues in strong opposition to legislation that will hurt farmers and force many farms – especially small ones – to close,” Finch stated. “Increasing the cost of doing business in New York state and, therefore, increasing the cost of food for our working families is exactly what we should not do during this economic crisis.”

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