October 6, 2021

 

Ireland's pig meat sector faces challenge with labour shortage

 

 

Ireland's pig meat sector is under extreme pressure due to a lack of suitable labour at processing level and on farms, according to the Irish Farmers Association.

 

The association has called on the country's Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment to fast-track work permit applications from outside the European Economic Area to help alleviate the backlog of pigs in the market.

 

IFA Pigs chairman Roy Gallie said the continuous nature of pig production requires a constant flow through the farm. This production cycle requires that pigs are moved off the farm for processing in a timely fashion.

 

"All farmers have prudently built-in latitude to allow for disruptions to the normal throughput, but the current shortage of labour has stretched this to breaking point," said Gallie. "IFA is aware that a number of work permit applications have been submitted to DTEE over the past number of months, but these have not yet been processed.

 

"It's imperative that these permits are issued immediately to allow these skilled workers into the country."

 

Gallie added that IFA has made repeated calls for the reintroduction of the quota-based pilot work permit scheme, and this should be extended to include pig and poultry farms.

 

Tipperary Fianna Fail TD Jackie Cahill has meanwhile told the Dail there is a severe shortage of labour in virtually all sectors across Ireland.

 

He said the same is happening in Northern Ireland where a meat processing plant, which takes a lot of pigs from the south, was recently forced to close because of a shortage of labour. This had a huge impact on pig prices in the south.

 

"We need to urgently revisit the issue of work permits. This needs to be sped up and streamlined as quickly as possible," he said. "There is a major shortage of labour at the moment in all sectors."

 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there is without question an issue with work permits, visas and ensuring there is an adequate labour supply in the market right now.

 

"One dimension of it was discussed earlier in terms of upskilling and providing a range of skills, which is being done to an unprecedented degree," he said.

 

An urgent review of the work permit system is now underway in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, under Minister of State Damien English.

 

The aim is to facilitate a faster and more flexible approach to get people into sectors where there are considerable shortages right now, the Taoiseach said.

 

- Irish Examiner