Italian agriculture depends heavily on migrant labor, with foreign workers accounting for nearly a third of total days worked in the sector.
A new report highlights the vital role migrant workers play in Italy’s agricultural industry, which would suffer significantly without their contribution.
Migrant Workers Fill Labor Shortage
According to an analysis by Coldiretti, Italy’s organization for agricultural business, migrant workers provide 32% of the total days of labor needed on Italian farms this year.
Over 362,000 foreign-born employees regularly find seasonal jobs picking crops and working in stables across the country.
The most represented migrant community is Romanian with over 78,000 workers, followed by Indians, Moroccans, Albanians, Senegalese. and Pakistanis.
Most carry out summer harvesting jobs, returning year after year.
Migrants Concentrated in Key Farming Regions
Coldiretti points out there are many “agricultural districts” where foreign laborers are integral to the local economy.
Examples include strawberry picking in Verona, fruit preparation in Friuli, apple harvesting in Trentino, and grape harvesting in Piedmont.
Lombardy relies heavily on migrant dairy farm workers.
New Opportunities in Agrotourism
Beyond crop picking and animal farming, Coldiretti notes migrants also take jobs in agritourism.
Options range from on-site food production to direct sales, educational farms, recreational activities, renewable energy production, and landscape management.
Three-Year Work Visa Program Expands
A newly expanded three-year work visa program will provide more opportunities for migrant farm workers.
Quotas will rise from 42,000 in 2022 to 90,000 in 2025.
Agricultural associations will have 40,000 reserved quota spots this year to supply members with reliable labor.
Just on December 2nd, Italy opened its annual work visa lottery, in which over 600,000 local employers seeking to hire foreign workers filled out the pre-application.
President Calls for Efficient Worker Flow Management
Coldiretti President Ettore Prandini stated efficient visa quota management is key to ensuring farms have regular employees and avoiding unfair competition from exploitative employers.
The association supports expanding annual quotas to serve the fishing industry’s labor requirements.
ETIAS Requirement Adds Complexity for Agricultural Workers
The impending launch of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) in May 2025 will add further complexity for migrant laborers traveling to Italy and other European Union (EU) nations for agricultural work.
ETIAS will require citizens of visa-exempt countries to obtain pre-travel authorization before entering the Schengen Area.
While details are still being finalized, migrant workers from visa-exempt countries may need both ETIAS approval and seasonal agricultural worker visas to gain access for farm jobs.
The extra requirements could hamper efforts to attract enough foreign labor.
Streamlining ETIAS for Agricultural Workers Emerges as Priority
As implementation draws near, streamlining and simplifying ETIAS for essential migrant workers will likely emerge as a priority for Italy and other EU nations reliant on foreign agricultural labor.
Creating dedicated channels and expedited ETIAS approval for those with existing seasonal worker visas could help ease the burden.
The EU will need to balance security concerns with economic necessities to avoid unintended strains on vital industries.
Farming Future Depends on Sustaining Migrant Workforce
With migrant workers filling vital seasonal roles across its agricultural sector, Italy must continue working to attract and integrate foreign labor through ethical and regulated channels.
Failure to do so would deal a major blow to domestic food production.