Child labor groups say they are stunned and disappointed the Obama administration is backing off a plan to keep children from working in hazardous jobs on farms.

They say more children will die in farm accidents that could
have been prevented.

The Labor Department on Thursday withdrew proposed rules that
would ban children younger than 16 from using most power-driven
equipment. The rules also would keep people 18 and younger from
working in feed lots, grain silos and stockyards.

The plan specifically excluded children on farms owned or run by
their parents. But it became a popular political target for
Republicans who called it a heavy-handed regulation that ignored
the reality of small farms.

Government officials say they will work with farm groups to
protect kids.