After nearly a year of farming under COVID restrictions, farmworkers will be among the last to receive the COVID vaccine, according the schedule the governor released last week.

As farmers prepare for the first round of growing-season workers to arrive in Washington state in a few weeks, they cannot ensure vaccines will be available for farmworkers who want them.

Instead, farmworkers and their employers, will continue to work under arbitrary and difficult rules both in their professional lives and in community housing provided as part of their compensation.

Farmworkers should not be denied earlier access to vaccinations. They are recognized as critical food producers in the governor’s proclamation from March 23, 2020. Some farmworkers are eligible for vaccination in Tier 2 of Phase 1b of the recently released plan: “high-risk critical workers 50 years and older who work in certain congregate settings.” That does not cover most of the farmworkers who contribute to our agricultural community.

With approximately 25,000 seasonal workers expected to take up residence in our state to help facilitate the upcoming growing season, there needs to be a focus on health and safety. By definition, farmworkers spend their professional lives working and living in group settings. For that reason, and because they are essential to food production, all farmworkers who want a vaccine should be prioritized in the schedule.

Farmworkers are an absolutely critical part of Washington state’s workforce. Without a robust community of farmworkers and their employers, the rest of the state would suffer from high food prices, more pronounced food supply shortages and increased hunger. 

Farmworkers need to be prioritized in the vaccination schedule. They deserve better than to be shunted to the back of the line when it comes to COVID prevention.