The challenges of labour availability is an issue not just confined to the dairy sector, according to Meat Industry Ireland director Cormac Healy.

Healy was speaking at the Carrigaline Macra agriculture talk this week, where the labour issue in the meat industry, Brexit, vegans and dairy markets were all on the agenda.

Healy said having skilled labour is currently the most pressing issue for plant managers.

Listen to "Cormac Healy of Meat Industry Ireland on the labour shortage in processing" on Spreaker.

“Right across the processing sector, there’s a real pressure on plant managers in terms of getting labour. Right through from general operative level, to skilled labour in the meat plants.

“What we’re seeing is that the economy is back more or less at full employment, there certainly have been significant developments in the construction industry and when that happens that’s generally a draw away for people working in our sector.”

Healy told the Irish Farmers Journal that MII has requested that the Government makes a limited quantity of permits available for labour to be brought into the country to alleviate the situation.

“I don’t think it’s something that’s going to improve in the short term.

“I think the Government has to step up to the mark and re-open the permit system on a limited basis. A quota of permits is required, so we can make sure that the kind of growth we’re talking about can be acted upon.

In the short term, Healy said that plants are working on upskilling and training workers, but that at this stage plants are now down to the wire for skilled labour.

Brexit

Also speaking at the Carrigaline event was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Brexit, Simon Coveney, who said that neither the UK nor Ireland can afford a “no-deal Brexit”.

A bad outcome from the Brexit negotiations is the UK leaving without a trade deal with the rest of the EU, he said.

“There will be no deal in a Brexit situation if the UK loses patience and goes it alone. I don’t believe it will happen, but if it did, we would face having a trade relationship based on WTO rules.

“They will apply trade tariffs that apply under WTO rules. Believe me, that would be a devastating situation for agri-food trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Ireland and the UK as a whole.”