Tampa Bay farmers react to defeat of immigration proposal | TBO.com: "The Florida Senate's rejection of a proposal to fine employers for hiring illegal immigrants was greeted with relief by the agricultural community, which relies on immigrants to work their fields. Farmers say the federal government already requires them to check immigration status of their workers. ...
Agriculture is dependent on foreign labor to plant, harvest and work the crops, said Ted Campbell, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.
"We can't hire locally, as much as we'd like to," he said. "Agriculture in general is dependent on foreign workers."
Any impact on agriculture can spread to related industries including packing houses, fertilizer and chemical sales and farm equipment, he said. "It's also the people who make the boxes," Campbell said, "and the people who drive the trucks."
Farmers already have to be careful to examine documentation for workers. "You have to show documentation to be able to work," he said."
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