Planning for the wrong pandemic (ProPublica): Government and meat industry officials planned for years for a pandemic that attacked cattle, hogs and chickens, but they do not have a coordinated plan to protect meat plant workers, leaving them vulnerable, according to emails, texts, notes and reports obtained from dozens of public health agencies.
Court won’t force OSHA on coronavirus (The Hill): The D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit from the AFL-CIO that sought to force the Labor Department to issue strong labor protections against the coronavirus, saying OSHA “reasonably determined” that an emergency standard was not necessary at this time.
Agriculture shrinks in Puerto Rico (USDA): Production of coffee and plantains plummeted in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the number of farms fell nearly 38 percent, according to the Census of Agriculture.
Agriculture blamed for Florida algae (Tampa Bay Times): Coastal residents increasingly blame agriculture for phosphorus runoff into Lake Okeechobee and the lack of progress in controlling the blue-green algae that periodically carpets the lake.