MEDIA CONTACT:

Liam Migdail, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
717-724-9425 | Email

For Immediate Release: March 12, 2021

(Camp Hill) – Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) is calling today’s announcement by Gov. Tom Wolf that farmers and food and agriculture workers will be among the groups prioritized to start receiving the coronavirus vaccine a critical step in ensuring an accessible food supply for all Pennsylvanians.

“We are pleased that the governor is prioritizing for vaccine distribution the food and agriculture workers who are essential to maintaining Pennsylvania’s access to a safe and abundant food supply,” PFB President Rick Ebert said. “Farmers, their employees and frontline workers throughout the food supply chain have continued to work throughout this pandemic to produce the food that we all rely upon.”

Early in the pandemic, COVID-19 outbreaks led to food processing bottlenecks that made it more difficult for some foods to get from farms to consumers. Because of the perishability of many fresh foods and the time-sensitive nature of most agricultural activities, even temporary pauses in agricultural or food processing operations can cause major disruptions in the food supply chain.

“By further protecting the health and safety of frontline workers in food and agriculture, Pennsylvania is also protecting our food supply and the state’s number one industry,” Ebert continued. “Pennsylvania Farm Bureau stands ready to assist in whatever way we can as the state plans and executes its vaccine rollout to the agriculture and food communities.”

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