Fruit farm Keelings has responded to reports that it flew seasonal workers into Ireland from Bulgaria this week, saying that it advertised locally, but got a low uptake from local people.
In a statement, the business said: “This year we recruited in the usual manner over the winter and commenced our job offers at the end of October 2019 to experienced horticultural workers to ensure our Irish harvest. Up to 70% of our seasonal workers return to us year after year.
“Like other businesses, we changed our plans and operations in response to the evolving Covid-19 crisis. As the pandemic crisis emerged we considered both local staff and international staff and made the decision that we most likely needed both, to ensure we could continue to supply the Irish market,” the statement added.
We have advertised locally over two weeks and up until last evening [Thursday, April 16] we had 27 applications, which falls significantly short of our labour needs. Today we have received a further 13 applications. We hope to employ as many of these people as possible.
Keelings said that, during the main Irish fruit and vegetable season from April to October, it employs about 900 temporary horticulture workers.
It is understood that the Bulgarian workers were flown into Ireland through Dublin Airport on Monday of this week. The news came to light when Aontú TD Peadar Toibín raised concerns after being told that “an empty Ryanair flight was sent to Bulgaria and returned home with 187 workers holding letters to pick fruit in north Dublin”.
“Also that the workers had no medical examination or risk assessment when they landed. I have asked the Government to investigate,” deputy Toibín said in a tweet on the matter.
“Ryanair and Dublin Airport can confirm that all regulations were adhered to. They were taken straight to their housing. In accordance with HSE guidelines, they cannot work for 14 days after their arrival and their movements are restricted,” the Keelings statement added.
It went on to say that the newly-arrived workers would be subject to further medical screening before they begin work.
“We will continue to consult with the HSE and other appropriate agencies to ensure both our staff and the communities they live in remain safe,” the business said.
The company said that: “Up until the late 1990’s, we recruited most of our seasonal workers locally, but over the last 20 years there has been less interest from Irish people in this work.
“For the past 20 years, most of our seasonal work has been done by experienced horticultural workers from other EU countries, often from Poland, Latvia and now from Bulgaria,” the statement added.