Giansanti: ‘When it comes to agricultural work, we must punish exploitation, not administrative errors’

We need to clear up any misunderstandings. We are faced with a fragmented regulatory framework in Europe. When it comes to labour, we have 27 different regulatory frameworks. What is punishable in Italia is not elsewhere, and vice versa. And this can result in advantages for some and disadvantages for others. Let us make one thing clear: we are all against illegal labour recruitment and are convinced that this practice must be eradicated. We are all convinced that if a company is found to be exploiting workers, it should not have access to public funds. However, if a company has committed a minor offence or made an administrative error, it cannot be subject to both a fine and a reduction in EU funding.

The problem is that there is no uniform legislation on labour matters. 

That’s right, and that is why we at Copa have adopted a position backed by an absolute majority: not to apply social conditionality, at least until there is a framework legislation on labour that applies to everyone.

Another key issue has also come to the fore in the discussion so far: risk management.

This was a significant achievement by our Minister for Agriculture, Lollobrigida. The issue of risk management had not yet been brought to the table in the CAP reform discussions. It is a key issue in the context of climate change. The insurance system is, in fact, the tool for stabilising farmers’ incomes and enabling effective action to be taken in the face of adverse weather events which, unfortunately, are becoming increasingly frequent.

Progress has been made, but to many the negotiations seem to be running a little behind schedule. 

It is true that we are behind schedule on the CAP and the Multiannual Financial Framework. This is a cause for concern amongst farmers. We have submitted a document setting out our key points. We cannot remain in a state of uncertainty. In the coming weeks, we will also be organising street demonstrations to ensure that the voice of European farmers is heard at the prime ministers’ table.

The budget bill has also recently been passed in Italia, containing a number of significant measures for the agricultural sector.

I am very pleased with the Government’s work. We had called for the stabilisation of the agricultural income tax (IRPEF), the continuation of the agricultural diesel scheme and an incentive scheme for technological innovation such as ‘Agricoltura 4.0’. We just hope that, during the parliamentary debate, further resources can be found to allocate to technological innovation.

Have your concerns been eased, at least a little?

Concerns remain about the market crisis. I am thinking, for example, of the fresh-cut produce sector. Production costs and the road haulage crisis have forced many farms out of the market, and they have often been replaced by imported produce. A sector worth one billion euros in Italia is at risk. There needs to be a better distribution of value throughout the supply chain to ensure the economic sustainability of upstream farms.