Brussels, 19 February 2025 – EFFAT welcomes the European Commission’s vision for the future of the agri-food sector up to 2040. The text marks a step forward in recognising the importance of fair working and living conditions and collective bargaining in agriculture and food production. However, while we acknowledge several positive commitments, we regret the lack of ambition needed to effectively tackle speculation, market concentration, and social protection gaps.
Recognising Fair Work Is Good – Now We Need Concrete Action
The Commission identifies the creation of fair working and living conditions as one of the four priorities in its Vision for 2040. This recognition is significant and should serve as a foundation for real change.
“We appreciate the Commission’s focus on working conditions at the heart of its vision for the future,” said EFFAT Agriculture Political Secretary Ivan Ivanov. “However, recognition alone is not enough. We need concrete, binding commitments to ensure that fair wages, safe workplaces, and social protections become a reality for all agri-food workers.”
EFFAT insists that real progress requires targeted actions, including:
- Strengthening Social Conditionality in the next revision of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), ensuring declared working hours and social security contributions are factored into the distribution of CAP payments.
- Tackling abusive subcontracting and regulating labour intermediaries (See EFFAT Proposal for a Directive)
- Investing in capacity building and enhancing collective bargaining.
- Bolstering labour inspections to improve compliance and enforcement.
Positive Developments – Steps in the Right Direction
There are several encouraging elements in the Commission’s vision, including:
- A commitment to revising the Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs) Directive to better protect farmers and workers. It is time to ban selling below production costs and ensure greater transparency in margins across the food value chain.
- Addressing strategic dependencies in key agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and raw materials.
- Moving away from the lowest-price criteria in public procurement to a best value approach is a positive step towards fairer food systems.
- Recognising the role of food sector workers in shaping sustainable business models.
Concerns and Gaps That Must Be Addressed
While the vision includes some positive elements, several concerns remain.
- The Commission’s push for regulatory simplification raises our alarm: deregulation must not weaken labour protections. Making Europe more competitive cannot come at the cost of workers’ rights. At EFFAT we urge to clarity on the shift from ‘conditions to incentives’ as we’re eager to understand how social conditionality will be safeguarded.
- While the vision acknowledges volatility in agricultural markets, it fails to propose concrete actions against food speculation, a pressing issue affecting both workers and consumers.
- It is concerning to learn that the long-overdue ban on exporting hazardous pesticides is still awaiting an impact assessment. The health and safety of all agricultural workers must be protected, regardless of their location.
- Emphasising reciprocity in trade agreements is a long-overdue step. However, unlike animal welfare, the Commission fails to mention the respect of international social standards.
“It is disappointing to see that while the Commission acknowledges unfair competition and global trade imbalances, it overlooks the importance of respecting international labour standards in trade agreements”- said Wiebke Warneck, EFFAT Political Secretary for Food. “Workers must not be left out of this conversation. The transition to a fair and sustainable agri-food system requires anticipation of change and the full involvement of social partners”.
Conclusion
EFFAT sees this vision as a starting point for much-needed social progress in the agri-food sector. However, good intentions alone will not bring about the changes workers need. We urge the Commission to move beyond broad statements and implement binding commitments that guarantee fair working conditions, equality, and fairness across the food chain.
Only through concrete action can we create a fairer, more sustainable food system for everyone—from farm to fork.
EFFAT Policy paper: For a Successful Agri-Food Vision
