FRS Farm Relief is to hire over 300 additional workers to meet a growing demand for farm labour in the next 12 months.
A recruitment campaign is being officially launched at the National Ploughing Championships which begin tomorrow (Tuesday, September 20) in Co. Laois.
Farm workers who are interested in signing up are being asked to visit the FRS stand at the site in Ratheniska or to visit FRS Farm Relief’s website.
FRS currently has a panel of more than 1,200 farm operatives, who work with more than 5,000 farms across the country.
However, the body said it is projecting “significant growth in demand for farm support” across the country in the coming year.
FRS said that a particular emphasis will be placed on hiring more relief milkers, along with general farm workers.
Speaking about the recruitment drive, Colin Donnery, group chief executive of FRS Network said:
“This year has been a very busy year for FRS Farm Relief, with our panel of farm workers growing to over 1,200 and more than 5,000 farms across the country making use of our service.
“As we look ahead to 2023 we are expecting a further surge in demand, with many of the farmers we are working with indicating they want to increase their use of our services, while our regional offices are also experiencing a significant level of interest from further farms who are keen to benefit from FRS Farm Relief’s assistance.
“We are especially keen to talk to workers who specialise in milking as well as general farm work, as the feedback on the ground is that these will be the skillsets most in demand come 2023.
“We can think of no better time to launch this recruitment drive than at the National Ploughing Championship, given its significance in the Irish agricultural calendar.
“FRS Farm Relief has a proud track record of assisting farmers and the farming community across Ireland. Ever since we were founded more than 40 years ago, this has been a key aspect of what we do.
“Going into 2023 we expect our services will be more widely needed than ever before, given the increased pressures facing farmers all around Ireland and the additional sustainability challenges facing Irish farms,” Donnery concluded.