Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr expressed his support for farmers on National Agriculture Day, stating that he appreciates their contributions and opposes “burdensome” regulations affecting the agricultural sector. Carr made these remarks in a March 18 post on X, emphasizing his commitment to “stand with GA’s farm families.”
“We’ve fought against burdensome water regulations, attempts to unionize farm workers & H-2A wage increases,” said Carr. “We’ll always stand with GA’s farm families.”
According to a press release, on December 6, 2024, Carr sent a letter to President Trump’s nominees for U.S. Secretaries of Labor and Agriculture concerning the rising Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for H-2A farm workers. The current AEWR could lead to a 9.5% wage increase for Georgia farmers in 2025, following previous hikes under the Biden administration. Carr had previously requested a halt to these increases.
“Our farmers are already battling sharp declines in net income due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene,” said Carr. He added that the wage increases imposed by the Biden administration would make farming unaffordable and expressed hope for collaboration with President Trump to reduce costs for Georgia farmers.
On June 14, 2024, Carr filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s Department of Labor over a rule requiring agricultural employers to allow temporary foreign-migrant workers to unionize. The lawsuit argues that this rule contradicts nearly 90 years of precedent excluding agricultural workers from the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and unlawfully grants rights to migrant workers not available to American farmworkers. According to a press release, Carr contends that the rule exceeds the Department of Labor’s authority and is arbitrary and capricious.
Carr was appointed as Georgia’s attorney general by then-Governor Nathan Deal in 2016 and re-elected in November 2022. His tenure has focused on issues such as human trafficking, gang activity, and opioid misuse. He established Georgia’s first Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and Gang Prosecution Unit. Before serving as attorney general, Carr was Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development from November 2013 to November 2016.
