Moroccan seasonal workers exploited on French farms
Promises of legal employment mask conditions of abuse and human trafficking
LOT-ET-GARONNE, France (MNTV) – In the Lot-et-Garonne region of southwest France, famed for its apple orchards, seasonal workers—many from Morocco—face severe exploitation under the guise of legitimate employment.
A recent investigation by StreetPress has revealed a troubling case of fraudulent practices and modern slavery on a farm near Villeneuve-sur-Lot, operated by a prominent landowner linked to far-right politics.
The workers, housed in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, were paid far below France’s legal minimum wage.
Some Moroccan nationals reportedly paid up to €14,000 for work contracts, facilitated by a Moroccan intermediary who was himself a former seasonal laborer.
Testimonies describe grueling 11- to 12-hour workdays, falsified payslips, and withheld wages—often unpaid until the season’s end, if at all, as reported by Moroccan outlet Yabiladi.
The employer, Alain Aunac, is a unionist with Rural Coordination (CR), a group known for its protests against free trade agreements and EU regulations, often echoing far-right rhetoric.
Aunac’s influential position within the Agricultural Social Mutual Fund of Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne and CR’s dominance in the region have reportedly deterred many victims from coming forward.
However, several workers, armed with evidence, have shared their accounts anonymously.
StreetPress reports that fraudulent recruitment schemes often begin in Morocco, where workers are lured with falsified documents claiming legal work permits issued by the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII).
In response to the growing outcry, some Moroccan workers have filed official complaints for human trafficking.
Authorities are investigating Aunac’s involvement and whether he was aware of the exorbitant fees charged by the intermediary.
Such exploitation is not isolated.
In December, a Lot-et-Garonne farmer received a three-year prison sentence for human trafficking.
In another case, three Moroccan vineyard workers in Gironde filed lawsuits claiming they were defrauded of €14,000 each and left unpaid, with a recruiter allegedly pocketing the fees.
These incidents underscore systemic failures in safeguarding seasonal workers and highlight the urgent need for accountability.
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