On 3 November, the European Federation of Agriculture, Food and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) held a rally to take a clear stand against the removal of social conditionality. The trade unions and five attending Members of the European Parliament (S&D, Greens/EFA and Die Linke) delivered a clear message: no subsidies without social responsibility. With agriculture receiving around a third of the EU budget, embedding social conditionality in the sector is particularly important.

Social requirements in the CAP: A brief history

As early as 2021, AK EUROPA and more than 300 national and international organisations advocated social conditionality in the CAP in an open letter. Its introduction under the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Framework is considered a major recent achievement in EU social policy. By linking public subsidies to compliance with minimum labour standards, it puts farms that breach labour and social legislation at risk of losing part of their funding. Social conditionality became mandatory in most EU Member States in 2025; it had already been introduced in Austria by 2023.

EU legal provisions have been incorporated into Austria’s Agricultural Labour Act 2021 and the relevant collective agreement. Employers are, for example, obliged to promptly issue a written statement of terms and conditions of employment or an employment contract, to ensure employees’ health and safety, grant agricultural and forestry inspectors access to the premises, and use working materials and equipment lawfully. Sanctions vary according to the severity and frequency of breaches, starting with funding cuts of 1 to 3 per cent and potentially rising to full withdrawal for repeat offences. Social conditionality imposes no additional reporting or notification duties on farmers.

The situation of farm workers in the EU

In Europe, it is primarily vulnerable workers – seasonal workers and migrant workers – who work the fields and ensure that food ends up on our plates. However, due to language barriers and a lack of information about their rights, it is precisely these groups of workers who are least protected against exploitation. In September 2025, a European network of journalists highlighted how urgently this EU reform was needed: between 2015 and 2025, 30 agricultural businesses, ranging from smallholders to large landowners, received at least 14 million euros in subsidies despite convictions or ongoing investigations for breaches of labour law.

In Austria, cases also keep emerging of seasonal farm workers without employment contracts or paid too little. Yet very few farms have faced penalties for labour law breaches, particularly as the CAP requires no specific inspections. Nor is the paying agency, AMA, notified of settlements in labour law cases, leaving the farms concerned unpenalized. How many such settlements occur in Austria remains unclear.

After the Council adopts its position: hope rests with the EU Parliament

On 26 October, EU agriculture ministers endorsed removing social conditionality in their provisional agreement on the CAP for 2028 and beyond. Representing Austria, Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig supports this stance, which conflicts with the current Austrian government programme calling for further development of social conditionality based on the Austrian model. The latest Green Report (Grüner Bericht) on Austrian agriculture and forestry also includes a unanimous recommendation from the so-called Paragraph 7 Commission, a body comprising parliamentary parties and social partners: efforts should ensure proper implementation of social conditionality in all Member States to promote fair competition.

The extremes of agricultural worker exploitation were starkly illustrated in June 2026 in Calabria, Italy, where four farm workers from Afghanistan and Pakistan were burnt alive in a vehicle. The sole survivor described severe exploitation and unpaid wages. The hope is that Members of the EU Parliament will advocate retaining social conditionality in the CAP. Their report is expected in early 2027.

Further Information

AK EUROPA: What does the future of European agriculture look like? A recent report opens up new perspectives
A&W-Blog: Heißer Herbst für Landarbeiter:innen in der EU (German only)
A&W-Blog: EU-Agrarpolitik: Wie die Ausbeutung in der Landwirtschaft verhindert werden könnte (German only)
BMLUK: Grüner Bericht 2026 (Green Report 2026) (German only)
PROGE: EU-Agrarminmister schwächen Arbeitnehmerschutz (German only)