The Earth association! Onlus and the Flai-Cgil launch the alarm on speculation in the agricultural world, over 400 thousand exploited workers
After the massacre of Foggia the Italian agriculture world rebels against the exploitation of workers and the system of online auctions with double downward, speculation to lower the cost of agricultural products. An alarm that affects over 400 thousand workers, exploited by unfair commercial practices that make the game of large distribution companies.
Lower production costs to reduce sales costs, a practice that fosters the use of pesticides and chemicals. '' We need to break the chain of exploitation that feeds on the distortions along the supply chain, from distribution to industry to the countryside where agricultural products paid below a few cents push honest businesses to close and leave space for illegality, "said the president of Coldiretti Roberto Moncalvo.
Massimo Forino, director of Assolatte, also spoke on the subject. "This sales system stresses all the rings of agri-food and goes far beyond normal and healthy competition. The lack of transparency and the logic with which these auctions are organized serves to unleash a downward price war that affects everyone: from the producer to the worker and also harms the consumer, attracted by the mirror of the larks of a price that does not do justice to the efforts and commitment of those who make food quality and safety their own code of conduct.
Double downward online auctions: how they work
Large distribution companies ask farmers for a sales offer for agricultural products, after which the proposals are collected and a second tender is launched, which uses the lowest offer as a starting point. In this way, a tender is set up between farms to lower production costs, a direction that affects the quality of products by increasing the exploitation of workers.
The Eurospin auction
The Earth association! Onlus and the Flai-Cgil provided a practical example of a double-decker auction. Eurospin, a distribution network with over 1000 stores in Italy, has carried out a double-edged auction for a large batch of tomato bottles. To win was a group that offered a price of 31.5 cents per bottle of pass. Another three companies have won another contract, regarding peeled bottles sold at 21.5 cents each. Eurospin defended itself by explaining that "the interests of the consumer must be made".
The slaves of agriculture
The agriculture market in Italy has thrilling numbers, stories of hype that affect over 400 thousand workers. According to the report "Agromafie and Caporalato" there are hundreds of thousands of laborers who suffer forms of blackmail and work in dramatic conditions. We talk about shifts from 8-12 hours a day for an average pay of about 3 euros per hour. To pay should be deducted the taxes imposed by the corporals: ranging from 5 euros for transport at work, 3.5 euros for each sandwich and 1.5 euros for each bottle of water consumed. An unfair phenomenon that is expensive to the tax authorities: € 420 million a year in contributory evasion.
The example of France
Cross-border auctions are prohibited by law while in Italy there is only a self-regulation code that has been signed by several large companies, but not all.
How to react
In order to counter the caporalato and the auctions on the decline, the initiatives of young farmers who produce tomatoes and sell directly to consumers are increasing throughout Italy. Quality products sold at fair prices (ranging from 70 cents to 1 euro per bottle), an ideal example of how the exploitation of farmers can be fought with ... agriculture.
SOURCE: Panorama
