In fact, under the direction of then-Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, the USDA formed its own internal Civil Rights Action Team to investigate claims of racism and discrimination.

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"We're talking about farm workers being beaten very severely, " said John Worsley Worswick of Justice for Agriculture, a Harare-based group that supports farmers' rights in Zimbabwe.

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After being sued by an animal rights group called Alternatives Research and Development Foundation, the Department of Agriculture agreed last September to place rats and mice under the Animal Welfare Act requiring labs to keep endless records on every animal, something most already do.

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Giving them the same legal rights as everyone else might actually raise wages in sectors such as construction, agriculture and hospitality.

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