Hundreds of extra farm labour permits needed – IFA

Farmers need an extra 200 labour permits for dairy and 125 permits for pig and poultry workers, the IFA has said. Changes must also be made to the pilot employment permit scheme to address the “rapidly worsening” labour and skills shortage.

Farmers with new employees already identified need changes made to the scheme urgently, the IFA said.

“All 50 dairy assistant permits have now been taken up, and a number of dairy farm employers have applications in the system based on identified workers who simply won’t wait around,” IFA president Joe Healy said.

The pig and poultry farming sectors, inexplicably, were left out

“Poultry and pig farmers, whose sectors are expanding … need to be able to avail of their own quota of permits. Finally, farm employers in the horticulture sector need amendments to the scheme for it to better fit their particular, highly seasonal mix of skilled and unskilled positions.”

He added that the IFA submits to the review for the recruitment of workers from outside the EU/EEA twice a year, every year.

“Though the country is now at full employment, farm workers continue to be considered ineligible in the system,” Healy said.

The pilot scheme opened in June last year, making 50 dairy assistant and 500 horticulture worker permits available.

“The pig and poultry farming sectors, inexplicably, were left out, while the meat processing sector was initially allocated 250 permits, now increased to 1,500, with more to come,” Healy said. “Ministers Humphreys and Creed showed their understanding of agriculture’s labour shortages when the pilot scheme was introduced last year. They must now show greater urgency in delivering the additional work permits that farmers are crying out for.”

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