Almost half of pig producers in Ireland may have to consider leaving the sector because of a shortage of skilled workers according to the results of an industry survey.
The survey, which was carried out by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), revealed that 43% of farmers indicated that they will find it “hard to keep going without a pool of skilled workers”.
The survey results showed that “nearly half” of Irish pig producers would be “forced to consider exiting the sector if suitable employees are not available in the short-term”.
According to the IFA, the survey – which is representative of 75% of the national sow herd – also highlighted that there would be a potential loss of €623 million to the national economy and a potential reduction of €396 million in annual exports.
IFA pig chair, Roy Gallie, said: “The Irish pig sector is facing a critical challenge as it grapples with acute shortages of skilled workers, which is negatively impacting on productivity, growth, and the overall health of the industry.”
Pig producers
The IFA survey results detailed that out of the jobs advertised by pig producers in Ireland, 36% received no applications, while a total of 66% of the applications were “not satisfactory”.
It was also found that 48% of pig producers have vacancies, with 36% having more than one position vacant.
One other trend identified by the survey showed that 25% of pig farmers currently have no successor identified, with 35% of successors “undecided if they will pig farm”.
A total of 35% of pig farms have an employee turnover rate of 10% or less, while pig producers are seeing 65% of vacancies lasting over three months.
To gain skilled staff, the survey showed that 91% of pig producers were “willing to provide full training”.
A total 88% of pig producers said they would be willing to “fund time off for QQI training” by the Teagasc Pig Department.
Pig sector
Gallie said: “The pig sector’s success is vital, not only for the farmers and workers directly involved, but also for the wider economy and the food processing sector.
“To ensure the sustainable growth of the Irish pig sector, collaborative efforts from stakeholders, policymakers and government are essential to ensure pig farmers can continue to source quality suitable employees for their farming operations.”
He said that the IFA has made a submission to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and “is urgently seeking an allocation of work permits for the sectors including pig, horticulture, dairy, and poultry”.
A public consultation was recently organised by the department to review the eligibility of occupations appearing on the critical skills occupations list and the ineligible occupations list for employment permits.
This public consultation closes today (Friday, August 18).
Occupations included on the critical skills occupations list are highly skilled occupations which are experiencing labour or skill shortages in respect of qualifications, experience or skills and which are required for the proper functioning of the Irish economy.