Outgoing social affairs minister Eddy van Hijum (NSC) is pushing for a possible ban on the use of temporary workers in some sectors with persistent labour abuses, starting with the meat industry.

The ministry confirmed on Friday that preparations are underway to introduce such a ban, following the cabinet meeting, although he said it would be up to the next government to see it through.

Van Hijum said last summer that he was considering a ban on the use of agencies in sectors where problems with working conditions are common, such as the meat industry, the transport sector, cleaning and farming.

The ministry said the problems in the meat industry are “systematic and widespread” and that he expects all four sectors highlighted to take “concrete steps” to improve working conditions and reduce exploitation.

The proposed ban, which would prevent employers from hiring staff through temp agencies, is intended as a last resort if conditions do not improve. It could be enacted by a future cabinet and would not take effect before mid-2026 at the earliest.

A major report commissioned by the government and published in 2020 made 50 recommendations for improving the situation of people coming to the Netherlands from abroad to work in greenhouses or in the meat industry.

However, so far little has been done by the government to implement the measures although the social affairs ministry plans to introduce some form of certification scheme for staffing agencies.

According to some estimates, there are currently 14,000 staffing agencies operating in the Netherlands. Some 500,000 people from other EU countries work in Netherlands, mainly in farming, distribution centres, factories and the meat industry.