710 employment permits – almost triple the number originally allocated – have been issued for meat processing operatives to deal with a demand for employees in this sector, the Department of Business, Employment and Innovation has confirmed.

These have been issued under a pilot scheme to address labour shortages in the horticulture, meat processing and dairy sectors.

As of November 22, 2018, the Employment Permits Section has issued 723 employment permits for the agri-food sector.

These are broken down as follows:
  • 710 permits for meat processing operatives;
  • 10 permits for dairy farm assistants; and
  • Three permits for horticultural workers.

These figures do not include applications awaiting processing.

Officials from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation have been liaising with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding uptake.

According to the Department of Business there was a “very strong demand” for the initial 250 meat processing permits and “it was soon apparent that this quota would be exhausted very quickly leaving significant unmet demand”.

Following consideration of an evidence-based submission from the Department of Agriculture, Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys decided to increase the pilot scheme for meat processing operatives by a further 500, to a total of 750.

This decision was based on consideration of the submission which demonstrated that the sector has put in place actions to meet the requirements of the scheme.

In direct contrast, just 10 permits – a fifth of the amount originally allocated – have been issued for dairy farm assistants.

The Department of Agriculture has cited the passing of the peak period of labour demand and unfamiliarity with the employment permit application process as reasons why uptake in the horticulture and dairy farming sectors has been slow.

A significant factor in horticulture has also been the exceptionally challenging weather conditions experienced this year.

This has been reflected in just three permit documents issued from the 500 allocated to the sector.

A remuneration threshold of €22,000 was introduced for occupations granted through the permits, with employers obliged to ensure access to suitable accommodation and training – including language training.

Officials from the Department of Business have also been engaging directly with stakeholders and attended the recent National Ploughing Championships as part of its engagement process, a department spokesperson said.