Social dialogue in the agricultural sector covers activities related to NACE (Rev. 2) code 1, consisting of the groups 01.1 to 01.7 which covers:
- growing crops, fruits and vegetables,
- raising animals,
- mixed farming,
- support activities to agriculture and post-harvest crop activities,
- hunting, trapping and related service activities.
The committee has been established in 1999 replacing the Joint Committee on Social Problems of Agricultural Workers established by Commission Decision 74/442/EEC.
In the EU, the agriculture sector employed an estimated 8.7 million workers in about 9.1 million agriculture holdings on the same period (Eurostat Farm Structure Survey, 2020). Nevertheless, actual employment in agriculture is considered much higher, at 17.0 million workers in 2020 according to EFFAT.
The sector faces the following main challenge:
- fall in prices for many agricultural products,
- possible further trade liberalisation in the framework of the WTO negotiations,
- impact of climate change,
- labour shortages and attractiveness of the sector.
Employees' organisations
Employers' organisations
Key areas
The current work programme focuses on:
- following up on the implementation of the social dimension of the Common Agricultural Policy,
- labour shortages and skills mismatches,
- undeclared work,
- health and Safety at the workplace,
- social protection and labour mobility (e.g. seasonal and other mobile workers),
- strengthening the role of the social partners.
Activities and Meetings
Check the library entries for this sectoral social dialogue committee.
Joint texts
Check the Social dialogue texts database.