A Washington State farmer and a ‘farm labour contractor’ have both agreed to pay $32k (£20k) in penalties for “oppressive child labour” after Department of Labor (DOL) investigators found four children between the ages of eight and 11 harvesting blueberries.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), children under 12 may only work in agriculture on small farms, outside of school hours in ‘nonhazardous work’, and only with parental consent.

The lawsuit has been filed by the DOL against PTM Berry Farms and its owner and manager Marvin Van Mersbergen, as well as Alvaro Vicente, who trades as Vicente Labor Contractor, and Juan Vicente.

It also ordered the defendants to pay a total of $12.1k in back wages and damages in recognition of 188 further workers not being paid the required minimum wage.

Donna Hart, DOL Seattle district office director of the wage and hour division, says: “The Labor Department will not hesitate to pursue appropriate legal action to protect vulnerable workers, especially children. Agricultural employment is particularly dangerous, and federal labour laws must be followed to the letter.”