Italy's labour minister criticised after farm worker deaths linked to caporalato

On 9 June 2026, four Pakistani agricultural workers were killed when the vehicle transporting them to the fields in Calabria burned. The tragedy follows earlier deaths, such as the 2024 case of an Indian labourer in the Agro Pontino who died after being abandoned with an amputated arm. According to Istat data from 2024, about 230,000 agricultural workers in Italy are exposed to exploitation, with some earning as little as €2 per hour. The Placido Rizzotto Observatory, a study centre of the Flai CGIL, identified 405 territories with widespread issues and reported that complaints of caporalato nearly doubled in a year.

Labour Minister "Ms. C" responded by stating, "Sono immagini di una gravità inaudita" ("These are images of unheard gravity"), and announced the use of drones for inspections, promising 10,000 inspections in 2025 and another 10,000 in 2026. However, the number of workers specifically targeted for caporalato inspections fell from 3,208 in 2023 to 895 in 2025.

In parallel, a book event was held on 11 June in Jesi, organised by Amnesty International, featuring Marco Omizzolo’s "Per motivi di giustizia". The presentation highlighted the plight of migrant farm workers, the role of agri‑mafia networks and the need for stronger labour protections.