Agricultural trade unions will gather at Place Jean Rey as the post-2027 CAP negotiations threaten the only EU rule linking employers’ subsidies to respect for workers’ rights.
Brussels, 26 October 2026 – On Tuesday 3 November 2026, from 14:00 to 16:00 CET, EFFAT, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions, will hold a rally at Place Jean Rey in Brussels to call for a fairer agricultural sector and defend social conditionality.
Introduced in the 2021 CAP reform, Social Conditionality ensured for the first time in EU history that public funds paid to agricultural employers are linked to compliance with labour rights. An important mechanism for protecting farm workers while ensuring fair competition among farmers. Although it has applied in most Member States only since 2025, it is now under serious threat in the post-2027 CAP negotiations, as some Member States and political forces push to weaken or scrap it altogether disseminating false and misleading arguments.
Why it matters
Social conditionality in the CAP is a simple, easy-to-implement mechanism with real potential to improve labour standards in agriculture. A sector where many employers act responsibly, yet widespread labour abuses and serious health and safety risks persist:
- The sector records approximately 500 fatal and 150,000 non-fatal accidents every year.
- Undeclared and under-declared work affects an estimated 32% of agricultural employment across the EU, compared with around 5% across the economy.
- Mobile, migrant, and seasonal workers are particularly vulnerable, often facing wage theft, discrimination, poor housing, inadequate social security coverage and, in some cases, severe exploitation.
- Illegal labour intermediation, including abusive gangmaster practices, and insufficient labour inspections compound these problems across the EU, from north to south: The deaths of four migrant farmworkers in Amendolara, Italy, in June 2026, amid allegations of severe labour exploitation; cases of abuse involving migrant agricultural workers in Spain and Thai berry pickers in Sweden illustrate the scale and gravity of the problem.
- Restrictive migration policies can further deter migrant farmworkers from reporting abuses for fear of retaliation or deportation.
Social conditionality helps address these challenges by linking CAP payments to compliance with applicable labour and occupational health and safety requirements. It acts as a deterrent against violations and helps ensuring that farmers who comply with their obligations are not placed at a competitive disadvantage.
“Public money should never subsidise the violation of workers’ rights” – says Enrico Somaglia, EFFAT General Secretary. “Social conditionality is a principle of fairness: it protects farm workers and responsible employers alike. Scrapping or weakening it, when it has only been effectively implemented for a few months in most Member States, would be unacceptable. It would send the message that violating workers’ rights comes at no cost. On 3 November, we will be in Brussels to make sure decision-makers hear that loud and clear.”
Media point
A dedicated media point will be set up at the rally, where union leaders and agricultural workers will be available for interviews.
Tuesday 3 November 2026
Time: 14:00–16:00 CET
Location: Place Jean Rey, Brussels
#SaveSocialConditionality
Background Information:
Flyer and Info
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Contact:
Maddalena Colombi
EFFAT Press & Communications
[email protected]
0032 488 337 409
