Govt urged to lift dairy farm work permits quota
The government is being urged to lift the quota of general employment permits for dairy farm assistant roles.
This comes as the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) issued an update on the quota, announcing that it has been filled.
"The Employment Permits Regulations 2024, Statutory Instrument No 444/2024 established the maximum number of general employment permits that may be granted to dairy farm assistants," the DETE said.
"This quota has now been filled.
"Applications submitted and awaiting processing will now be rejected.
"No new applications for dairy farm assistant should be submitted."
Dairy farmers have told Agriland they are concerned, having received correspondence in recent days from the department stating that their application has been rejected due to the quota being filled.
There is high demand in Ireland for skilled workers in agriculture, especially come springtime, but labour shortages are a major challenge for dairy farms.
The general employment permit system is used by the state as the primary vehicle to attract third-country nationals for occupations which are experiencing a labour or skills shortage.
Labour shortages
A spokesperson for the DETE told Agriland the department "acknowledges ongoing labour shortages experienced in the agri-food sector and as such, regularly engages with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to the eligibility for employment permits and quotas affecting the sector".
"The role of dairy farm assistant has been provided with a quota of 1,100 general employment permits since eligibility was first introduced in 2018. This quota was exhausted in November 2025," the department said.
"Typically, quotas are not automatically extended when they are exhausted and further engagement from the sector is generally required.
"Where a sector wishes to have a quota extended, or a role fully removed from the ineligible occupations list (i.e. not subject to a quota), evidence should demonstrate a continuing need for access to employment permits for the role, supported by the department with lead responsibility for the sector."
Consultation
The spokesperson said that the department is currently undertaking a review of the occupations lists for employment permits following a public consultation inviting submissions from interested stakeholders wishing to make changes to eligibility for roles.
This public consultation closed to receipt of submissions on September 19.
"Each review takes account of research undertaken by SOLAS's Skills and Labour Market Research Unit and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs and input from the Economic Migration Inter-Departmental Group which includes the Department of Agriculture," the spokesperson added.
"A submission has been received from the agri-food sector with regard to the role of dairy farm assistant.
"Consideration of submissions and evidence supporting changes is currently in progress including where occupations that currently have assigned quotas are undergoing review.
"The final recommendations from this review are expected to be published in early 2026."
Workloads
President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) Denis Drennan, has confirmed to Agriland that ICMSA wrote to the Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke this week, requesting that he lift the quota.
Drennan said that the matter of work permits for non-EU workers in the dairy sector had been raised as recently as last Friday’s ICMSA AGM, with a question being put to the Taoiseach on this issue.
“Frankly, it seems astonishing that Ireland would be operating some kind of quota system on permits for workers in the dairy sector when the lack of available workers for farms has been a recurring problem for at least a decade in a competitive-jobs economy," Drennan said.
"There’s a real issue around workloads, with farmers working 80 or 90 hours per week in the spring calving season and way past the standard 40-hour week as a matter of course.
"Everyone knows that skilled labour for dairy farms is a real issue."
The ICMSA has highlighted the "daunting workload" involved with dairy farms being a key factor is "putting of the next generation" and impacting on generational renewal.
"We have to get those skilled dairy workers in and the government should be actively looking for ways to help this critical sector," Drennan added.
"They could start doing that by linking the visa application system to the work permits applications system, so that this superfluous duplication is ended."
