The announcement of changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to address skills shortages in Ireland’s dairy sector has been met with a broad welcome from stakeholders.
Earlier today (Friday, December 16), Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English made the announcement for changes to the work permit system to address shortages in the agriculture, transport and home care sectors.
The measures are aimed at alleviating some of the pressures being faced by farmers in the dairy sector, who have struggled to source workers in the local economy.
It follows engagement between the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) and Farm Relief Services (FRS).
Work permits approval
The ICMSA has welcomed the announcement by Minister English that an additional 500 work visas will be allocated for dairy operatives.
President of the association, Pat McCormack welcomed the development and said: “There should be no hold-up now for those who wish to apply for visas for non-EU nationals.
“These individuals are going to be needed in six weeks’ time; the clock is ticking, and we need to get these processed, turned around and issued, within that timeframe.”
McCormack confirmed that this process has been in train for up to a year and there has been close collaboration between the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), as well as ICMSA and FRS on the ‘farmer side’ of the issue.
ICMSA and FRS jointly commissioned a report that set out in formal economic terms the business case for such permits in the dairy sector.
Labour supply shortages are acute in the primary agricultural sector, with the dairy sector under particular pressure.
Dairying is highly labour intensive – especially during spring -alving time – and while there are always labour supply issues during this specific period, the problems around labour shortages are now acute and apply right throughout the year, according to both organisations.
Covid-19 had exacerbated the labour-supply problems across the economy and the dairy sector needs increased labour supply to sustain its contribution to the rural economy and to address critical work-life balance, McCormack said.
Processing applications
The ICMSA president has now called for a dedicated section within DETE which can deal with the agricultural and dairy-related applications for these VISAs.
“There is a tight turnaround time in terms of calving season 2023 and farmers cannot afford a time delay due to an administrative issue,” McCormack stated.
While the commitment to increase the number of permits has also been strongly welcomed by FRS Farm Relief, it cautioned that processing of these permits will need to become more efficient.
FRS Farm Relief has said that in its experience, it can sometimes take as long as six months for a permit application to be approved.
Colin Donnery, group CEO of FRS Network said: “While the additional permits will represent a boost to the sector, it is also important that the application process becomes more efficient.
“In our experience we have found that it can take as long as six months to secure the permit, which is far too long. If these permits are to help farms address the particularly challenging spring season, then a process that could take half a year to complete won’t provide the level of support intended.
“By that rationale, farms would have had to start applying for these permits last autumn in order to have them in place for the coming spring. Hopefully steps can be taken in that direction so the benefit of these additional permits will be quickly felt on Irish farms across the country,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ifac, the farming, food and agribusiness specialist professional services firm, has also welcomed Minister English’s announcement today.
The firm said that an increasing number of dairy farmers are utilising employment permits to ease staffing shortages.
Timelines for permit applications have been greatly reduced in recent weeks, with the current processing of applications reaching an all-time low of two weeks, according to Ifac.
Ifac’s head of human resources and payroll services, Mary McDonagh, said: “Our 2022 Irish Farm Report found that almost a third of farmers find it difficult to find available employees, while 77% of those planning to recruit would consider hiring outside the EU.
“The announcement from Minister English, with engagement from Minister Heydon, will have a positive impact on helping the sector with this challenge.”