Are Agricultural Workers Treated Fairly In Europe? (best, life, cost)
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Unskilled farm labor in the US is horribly exploited and underpaid. These jobs used to be performed by American workers (back when the work/pay conditions weren't so bad), but it's all done by immigrant labor, much of it "undocumented" (= workers crossing the border without a visa). This is somehow justified by farmers saying that fruit/vegetables would be unaffordable if they had to pay people a fair wage and benefits.
Who does this work in Europe, and do the workers receive a fair pay package? I suppose everyone gets health care, anyway, so that's not an issue for employers in agriculture. What about housing--where do the workers live, and do they migrate from one region to another, according to the growing seasons for the various products?
Not here. The duopoly of the two predator grocery chains squeeze every little drop of milk and grain of the producers. Farmers pretty much live on subsistence levels and EU subsidies. If you have a dairy farm and a herd of 65 cows, you can expect to make a profit of €4k a year. 4000 euros. A year.
Why? Because Finland is not the best place for agriculture in the first place. Go to Poland and you get a 130% output just because of the climate. And obviously the labour costs are massively cheaper down there too.
If it wasn't for strategic reasons, there would be no agriculture here. The pork would be supplied from Denmark, grain from Poland, beef from Brazil and milk from Ireland.
The only way to get a proper living in Finland is to become involved in animal cruelty - mink farming - and breed animals for furs, but many have a moral barrier towards it.
Workers? Don't be ridiculous. Like any farm would afford to pay anyone a wage.
Workers? Don't be ridiculous. Like any farm would afford to pay anyone a wage.
OK, so you're talking about family farms? There's no agribusiness (big corporate farms) in Finland, I gather. That makes sense. And the store chains have to keep costs down, I imagine, because everything is already so expensive, because of the northerly environment.
The US imports lynx fur coats from Finland, btw, which is interesting, because lynx is a protected species. (Mink is not.) So it must be farmed lynx, not wild, otherwise it would be illegal to import it. I suppose most popular fur species are farmed, these days.
OK, so you're talking about family farms? There's no agribusiness (big corporate farms) in Finland, I gather. That makes sense. And the store chains have to keep costs down, I imagine, because everything is already so expensive, because of the northerly environment.
The US imports lynx fur coats from Finland, btw, which is interesting, because lynx is a protected species. (Mink is not.) So it must be farmed lynx, not wild, otherwise it would be illegal to import it. I suppose most popular fur species are farmed, these days.
The average farm here employs the owner and two others. No, there aren't any corporate mega farms here, because the retail predators can hold the farmers in a tight leach nevertheless. And farming? What would be a worse business idea? Pet food? Publishing?
The lynx, like every other big predator except for the mink is protected by law. Yes, all are farmed. Fur farming is a hugely controversial issue here, as many see it as legalised animal cruelty. For example in the UK and NL fur farming is by definition illegal. I wish we would ban this immoral pracrice, but as it's low-key and profitable, I don't see it happening.
Unskilled farm labor in the US is horribly exploited and underpaid. These jobs used to be performed by American workers (back when the work/pay conditions weren't so bad), but it's all done by immigrant labor, much of it "undocumented" (= workers crossing the border without a visa). This is somehow justified by farmers saying that fruit/vegetables would be unaffordable if they had to pay people a fair wage and benefits.
Who does this work in Europe, and do the workers receive a fair pay package? I suppose everyone gets health care, anyway, so that's not an issue for employers in agriculture. What about housing--where do the workers live, and do they migrate from one region to another, according to the growing seasons for the various products?
It's the same here in Italy, especially in the South. Farm labour is mostly made up of North Africans, Eastern Europeans and Subsaharian seasonal workers. They either live packed (as in eight or nine of them if not more) in small old houses rented by locals (both in countryside but mostly in the inner cities here in Apulia) or in shacks and barracks in the countryside far from highways and main roads where people can't look at their conditions.
They usually get €3/4 a hour for 12 hours long work under the heat which reaches 35C° for half the days. Their work is undocumented and they get no benefits. They are recruited by the caporali ("foremen") which usually are at the service of the land owner or tenant and are divided by nationality. Each of them must recruit their fellow countrymen in winter and arrange their trip to Southern Italy. They also have the job of coordinating the workers inside the fields and controlling their life outside of them, especially on the shacks and barracks. They actually exploit their fellow countrymen to gain more in several cases, these shantytowns in the middle of nowhere have brothels, supermarkets, ecc. all of them undocumented of course. Nothing ever gets done because the workers fear speaking up, fear never seeing their families again, ecc. The government is starting to fight this whole ****ed up system but it's too late and not all local authorities are cooperating
The problem of the milk farms is the predominant power of the dairy industry, ruled by multi billion Euro companies.
However, the simple farm worker is facing similar problems as in the US, many are not illegaly working but seasonal workers from Eastern Europe (Used to be Poland, but nowadays rather Romania, Bulgaria etc.). Payment is usally based on output and housing conditions are often miserable.
Unskilled farm labor in the US is horribly exploited and underpaid. These jobs used to be performed by American workers (back when the work/pay conditions weren't so bad), but it's all done by immigrant labor, much of it "undocumented" (= workers crossing the border without a visa). This is somehow justified by farmers saying that fruit/vegetables would be unaffordable if they had to pay people a fair wage and benefits.
Who does this work in Europe, and do the workers receive a fair pay package? I suppose everyone gets health care, anyway, so that's not an issue for employers in agriculture. What about housing--where do the workers live, and do they migrate from one region to another, according to the growing seasons for the various products?
This is a ha-ha questions, right?
BTW "these jobs" created H2 visa jobs and they are going strong. Quit eating California fruits, veggies, nuts and wine! You posted that you are in Cali - take a week end trip and explore.
BTW "these jobs" created H2 visa jobs and they are going strong. Quit eating California fruits, veggies, nuts and wine! You posted that you are in Cali - take a week end trip and explore.
Studies have shown that most workers are undocumented, in spite of the H2 visa program.
According to a 2005-7 survey, 75 percent of farm workers were foreign-born and 72 percent were born in Mexico. About half of California crop workers were believed to be unauthorized in 2007 (Carroll, Saltz and Gabbard 2009). Immigration issues and farm labor are closely intertwined. A relative handful of the 2 million farm workers in the United States enter the country and work through the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program. In 2008, the Department of State issued about 65 thousand H-2A visas mainly to Mexicans (DHS 2008 and RMN 2009). About 8 thousand farm employers were certified to fill about 95 thousand farm jobs with H-2A workers in fiscal year 2008. H-2A has never been a major factor in California hired labor supply.
Studies have shown that most workers are undocumented, in spite of the H2 visa program.
According to a 2005-7 survey, 75 percent of farm workers were foreign-born and 72
percent were born in Mexico. About half of California crop workers were believed to be
unauthorized in 2007 (Carroll, Saltz and Gabbard 2009). Immigration issues and farm
labor are closely intertwined. A relative handful of the 2 million farm workers in the
United States enter the country and work through the H-2A temporary agricultural
worker program. In 2008, the Department of State issued about 65 thousand H-2A visas
mainly to Mexicans (DHS 2008 and RMN 2009). About 8 thousand farm employers
were certified to fill about 95 thousand farm jobs with H-2A workers in fiscal year 2008.
H-2A has never been a major factor in California hired labor supply.
If it's bad in the US as you say (I don't doubt...) it's probably far worse in Europe. Over the years I've heard/read numerous stories about Slave labour of Bulgarians in the UK/Holland/Belgium and basically North-Western Europe. The stories varied from rapid drop of promised pay to slavery and prostitution. +1 more reason for the UK to leave.
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