Europe's deadly heat tests southern Italy's migrant farm labour

The World Health Organisation reported Sunday that over 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded across Europe since June 21 in connection with a record-breaking heatwave. The Guardian reported that Germany and Italy are among the worst hit, with temperatures shattering records across the continent. Most of Italy remains under red alert, according to forecasters, with relief not expected until Wednesday. The scale of the mortality toll underscores the severity of the crisis gripping the continent.

In Calabria and the surrounding south, the crisis has a particular face: migrant farm workers living in makeshift settlements with minimal protection from the heat. The Local reported that in Puglia, just north of Calabria, migrant labourers are enduring extreme temperatures in corrugated iron shacks scattered across agricultural zones. These workers—many undocumented, many paid below minimum wage—have no air conditioning, limited water access, and no legal recourse to demand safer working conditions. The heat has turned their shanty towns into death traps.

Calabria's own agricultural sector depends on seasonal migrant labour, particularly for citrus and bergamot harvesting. The region's farms operate in a grey economy where workers are often housed in substandard accommodation with no heat-safety protections. As temperatures soar, the risk of heat-related illness and death among these populations rises sharply, yet official oversight remains minimal. The heatwave has exposed—again—the structural vulnerability of migrants who underpin southern Italy's farm economy.