The Government has just announced that 500 work permits will be issued to the horticulture sector. The Horticulture Industry Forum has been working on the labour issue for some time and it is a very welcome initiative. The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DEBI) and Minister Humphries have developed the pilot quota-based scheme to address immediate labour shortages in the horticulture, meat processing and dairy sectors. There will be a quota of 500 permits granted for horticulture workers, 250 for meat processing operatives and 50 for dairy farm assistants from outside the EEA. A review group to report to the Minister by late June on overall employment permits system to ensure it remains fit for purpose in a changing environment.
Key criteria of the programme:
- minimum remuneration threshold of €22,000
- specific obligations on the employers around the welfare and prospects of the foreign nationals employed.
- access to suitable accommodation
- access to training in areas such as language skills
See DEBI website for further information. There are already some well-developed plans in place to recruit from some key countries with skilled and unskilled labour.
Teagasc nursery stock newsletter May 2018
 and Minister Humphries have developed){kind=link}