A ban on the use of temporary agency workers in the meat industry will take effect on 1 March 2028.
Serious abuses have been regularly reported in the meat industry since 2010, particularly involving vulnerable foreign workers.
Why do they want to ban temporary agency work?
The use of temporary agency workers is to be banned for several reasons:
- poor working conditions, underpayment, intimidation, violence and dangerous situations are common;
- workers may be dismissed following illness or a serious accident and, as a result, may also lose their accommodation and even become homeless;
- according to the Labour Inspectorate, employment law violations are twice as common among temporary agency workers;
- in the meat industry, the rate of immediate dismissals is approximately 10%, compared with the national average of 0.65%.
The sector was given the opportunity to improve the situation
The sector had until 15 June 2026 to improve the situation itself.
One of the main objectives was for at least 80% of workers to be directly employed by July 2026. This target was not achieved: in the red and white meat sectors, only around 50% of workers are currently directly employed.
As a result, the new ban on temporary agency workers will also apply in full to the poultry sector.
VleesNL’s 16-point action plan
The industry organisation VleesNL attempted to prevent the ban with a 16-point action plan. Among other measures, it proposed working only with temporary employment agencies holding the appropriate SNA and SNF certifications and that are members of ABU or NBBU.
However, the government concluded that progress was too slow and that the targets had not been achieved. Source: Uitzendverbod vleessector 2028: Dit moet je weten | Flexpedia