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People receiving social welfare and farm assist payments are being targeted to work on dairy farms.
A new pilot programme could see some participants earn up to €5,000 on farms without affecting their current level of social welfare payments.
The €5,000 payment will depend on each individual's personal circumstances.
The radical new plan, which kicks off in August, will see Teagasc train people without skills or experience of farm work and the Farm Relief Services (FRS) place them on dairy farms. The programme is being supported by the Department of Social Protection.
The move is aimed at easing the shortage of labour on dairy farms but is set to anger farmers in other sectors and contractors if it draws part-time and seasonal workers away from their farms.
With average dairy farm incomes predicted to reach €80,000 this year, the shortage of workers for expanding farms has hit crisis levels.
The campaign, which will run in counties Waterford and Kilkenny initially, is aimed at people who are currently out of work, or are working part-time, or who are currently farming full-time but want to earn extra money.
If successful, the pilot programme will be rolled out across the country in late September.
Teagasc’s Páidí Kelly told the Irish Farmers Journal that people can earn over €5,000/year by working part-time on dairy farms.
Depending on the individual circumstances of people in receipt of social welfare payments such as jobseeker’s allowance or farm assist, the extra income will not affect their current social welfare payments.
Those interested in taking up farm employment will be enrolled in a 20-day training programme by FRS.
Of these 20 days, 16 days will be spent on farm and four days will be spent in Kildalton Agricultural College.
The initiative is being supported by the IFA, Macra na Feirme and the Skills Forum.
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The Department of Social Protection offered the following comment.
"The Department of Social Protection offers a range of supports to employers and jobseekers.
"Given the Department’s role in supporting employers and jobseekers, the Department of Social Protection is represented on the nine Regional Skills fora throughout the country.
"The South East Regional Skills forum recently undertook an analysis of labour market needs for the dairy sector in the region.
"As a result of this analysis, the Department of Social Protection is currently working with Teagasc, the IFA, and Farm Recruitment Services to highlight potential employment opportunities within the sector to jobseekers located in Waterford and Kilkenny.
"A four-week pilot training course has also been developed to provide interested jobseekers and people in receipt of Farm Assist payments to gain the necessary skills to be in a position to be employed as dairy operatives.
"This part-time training course will commence in September."
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