Crawfish peeling plants are empty of workers, all hope lost - Here we Go!! $$$$$

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It’s peak crawfish season, but Louisiana peeling plants are empty: ‘I've lost all hope’
Shortage of H-2B visas threatens Louisiana's $640m crawfish industry, leaving the state's 20 crawfish processors with no option to hire migrant workers.

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“Without those workers, the crawfish don’t get peeled,” Strain said. “The plants will shut down, and either, one, those crawfish are not consumed, or two, as has happened in the past, they will fill up tractor-trailer loads of these crawfish, send ‘em down to Mexico, get ‘em peeled and bring ‘em back.”

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(KPLC) - Crawfish farmers and processing plant owners say delays and a cap on H-2B visa programs have disrupted Louisiana’s crawfish industry, which could see a statewide economic impact of up to $300 million.

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said 15 of the 20 crawfish peeling plants in the state have not received any foreign workers this season due to new H-2B visa restrictions that have prevented seasonal migrant workers from returning.

“We need them immediately, not three months from now; we need them today,” Strain said.

Strain said the positions are first offered to American workers, but there are not enough applicants to meet demand.

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“The house is on fire. We’ve lost the living room. We’re trying to save the bedrooms so we can have something to rebuild,” Lawson said. referring to what he says lobbyists have said to lawmakers.

Lawson pushed back on characterizations of the migrant workers affected by the restrictions.

“They’re not thugs, they’re not illegals, they’re not criminals. These are working people who come here, they work a fair day’s wage for fair money, and they go home,” he said.

Strain said that without a solution, farmers may be forced to ship crawfish to Mexico for peeling and import them back into the United States. Strain also said the best thing people can do for the industry right now is eat more crawfish.

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