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MO ag groups suing OSHA over vaccine mandate

Missouri agriculture groups are suing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for its emergency rule vaccine mandate.

Missouri Farm Bureau, MFA Incorporated, MFA Oil Company, and dry fertilizer manufacturer Doyle Manufacturing Company claim the Emergency Temporary Standard issued by OSHA, which would mandate U.S. workers at companies of 100 employees or more be vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly, is unconstitutional.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garret Hawkins tells Brownfield…

“It is overly broad, and it will have a tremendous impact on private employers as well as individuals,” he said. “That’s the crux of why we are joining forces to file this petition.”

Hawkins said the mandate would likely increase labor shortages in key industries like trucking, further hinder the supply chain and ag goods.

“You can’t drive around the state without seeing help wanted signs at various small businesses and so, this is a concern because everywhere we look, everywhere I go I hear from my fellow farmers about concerns about inputs,” Hawkins said.

The mandate, which seeks compliance by early January, was placed on hold by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals following several state attorneys general filing against it.