Irish Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys has signed off on changes to Employment Permit Regulations to make it easier for businesses in the agri-food sector to source workers from outside the European Economic Area.

The changes, which will operate on a pilot basis initially, include 500 permits for the horticulture sector, 250 for the meat industry and 50 for the dairy sector.

Humphreys said the quotas are “to ensure that in the longer-term, strategies are put in place to source labour supply from both the domestic and European labour markets and to invest in innovative technologies for the sector.”

“A new minimum remuneration threshold of €22,000 is being introduced for these occupations,” Humphreys said. “Furthermore, there will be specific obligations on the employers around the welfare and prospects of the foreign nationals employed. This includes ensuring they have access to suitable accommodation and to training in areas such as language skills.”

“As we approach full employment, labour shortages at the lower-skilled end of the jobs market are becoming apparent in some sectors,” Humphreys said. “This has the potential to constrict growth if these needs are not met. Parts of the agri-food sector are particularly affected in the immediate term.”

Humphreys added that the food sector employs about 173,000 people across the regions, contributes almost 8% to gross national income, and currently has exports worth almost €13.5 billion.

“It is our most important indigenous sector and its reach into rural Ireland brings jobs and value to every region,” Humphreys said. “For this reason, I asked the review group, in advance of completing the full review, to prioritise the emerging labour shortages in the sector in its deliberations.”