Italian authorities crack down on agricultural caporalato, dozens charged

Carabinieri and the Labor Inspection Unit of the Catania command carried out inspections in the Sicilian town of Bronte as part of a campaign against agricultural caporalato. A 63‑year‑old local employer was denounced for workplace‑safety violations, including the failure to provide mandatory health surveillance for a worker, and was fined €1,423.84. The raid covered 36 workers at the inspected sites.

In the province of Palermo, a separate series of inspections identified 18 irregular farms and resulted in the indictment of 15 employers. Authorities identified 43 workers, of which 12 were irregular and 7 were employed without contracts. Five businesses were suspended and fines of about €74,000 for administrative breaches and €59,000 for contraventions were imposed. Repeated violations included missing health surveillance, lack of safety training and the absence of a documented risk‑assessment plan. Both operations are part of a wider effort by the Carabinieri to combat illegal labor recruitment and unsafe conditions in Italy’s agricultural sector.