The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) issued 700 work permits to the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.

This marks a decrease from the 1,001 permits which were issued in the first three months of last year.

A further 244 permits were issued for the sector in March, following the 266 granted in February and 190 in January.

In order to work in Ireland a non-European Economic Area (EEA) national – the EEA includes the member states of the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein – unless they are exempted, must hold a valid employment permit.

The latest data, published by the department, shows that in March 3,152 work permits were issued across all sectors, bringing the total to 9,897 so far this year.

26% (2,620) of the permits granted this were issued to the health and social work activities sector, followed by the information and communication activities sector (1,402) and accommodation and food services (1,379).

In 2024, over 39,000 permits were issued across all sectors, with 3,625 granted to the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.

In the agriculture sector, the majority of permits are issued to horticulture companies, in particular mushroom growers, and meat processors.

The mushroom industry is the largest horticultural sector in Ireland with a farm gate value of €158.6 million, of which approximately 85% is exported to the UK.

The industry employs 2,968 people with labour representing 44% of total input costs.

The Horticulture Crop Input Prices 2025 report, published by Teagasc, noted that a significant portion of operatives and harvesters working on mushroom farms are from non-EU countries, employed under general employment permits.

One major issue facing growers is the requirement to raise the salaries of these workers from the current minimum wage to €30,000 when renewing their permits.

“This development is particularly alarming for mushroom growers, many of whom operate on slim profit margins,” the report said.

The planned increase to minimum annual remuneration (MAR) thresholds is currently being reviewed by the department of enterprise.