Veneto seeks to formalize traditional agricultural labor exchanges

Dario Bond, the Regional Councilor for Agriculture in Veneto, has requested that local Chambers of Commerce, specifically Treviso-Belluno, initiate a process to update the registry of customs regarding agricultural labor exchange.

The initiative aims to provide clearer legal frameworks for the spontaneous, occasional, and free assistance provided by family members, friends, and neighbors during critical periods such as the grape harvest and fruit picking. By formalizing these practices, the region seeks to prevent genuine forms of mutual aid from being misidentified as irregular labor.

Veneto is looking to the model established by the Autonomous Province of Trento, which utilizes the “Ganzega” tradition. In Trentino, this custom of reciprocal, unpaid help among farmers and their social circles was officially registered with the Chamber of Commerce in 2009, providing legal certainty for small family-run agricultural businesses.