Changes to employment permits for non-EU and UK citizens coming to Ireland are coming into force from Monday 2 September.

Among the significant changes for agriculture will be the introduction for the first time of a seasonal work permit which will last for seven months.

While the measure is initially targeted on a pilot basis at the horticultural sector, the intention is to widen it out to other areas next year. Fruit growers in particular have been asking for such a scheme for some time.

Problems with attracting labour have increased in recent years, as Ireland’s unemployment rate remains very low, with the seasonal nature of the work proving unattractive to many.

The problems for the sector have been further exacerbated by the current minimum salary requirement of €30,000 for visa workers in the horticulture sector.

Meeting that requirement when there is not a full year’s work available means that many fruit growers cannot cover the cost.

General manager at Kearns Fruit Farm in Wexford Peter Donnellan told the Irish Farmers Journal in May that “the restrictions and salary is nearly making it not fit for purpose”.

Welcome

Donnellan has welcomed the new seasonal work visa, saying: “We have been calling for this for a long time, so it is great to see it in place at last.” He added that he has not yet studied the full details of the new visas.

The dairy industry has also been calling for extra work visa for years, as traditional labour sources have dried up.

Former Tirlán CEO Jim Bergin said late last year that one of the biggest challenges facing dairy farmers is the lack of labour, with a significant proportion of dairy farmers having no relief milker.

He said that Tirlán had been lobbying for more visas to be made available to the industry to meet the clear need.

Terms

Under the terms of the new seasonal work visa scheme, which is designed with the specific needs of the horticulture and agriculture sectors in mind, the visas will be renewable for multiple years for the set calendar season, up to a maximum of seven months per calendar year.

The provision of appropriate accommodation and health insurance will be included in the scheme.

Employers will have to apply annually to become registered pre-approved seasonal employers in order to access the scheme, with the approval having to be renewed each year.

For employees holding visas, a simplified annual renewal process will be put in place.

In addition, holders of a seasonal visa will be able to transfer their work permit to another approved employer through a simplified notification scheme, meaning they can spend their seven months working on different farms.

Overall, it seems this new visa scheme has the potential to provide necessary relief to the horticulture sector, which has faced severe labour shortages at key times of the year, while also having the potential to provide additional support to other farm enterprises which have struggled to find workers.