Chartered flights could be used to transport up to 1,500 seasonal workers into Ireland to pick fruit and vegetables through the summer and early autumn.

With travel restrictions in place across the EU due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fruit and vegetable growers have been in touch with Government to secure clearance for the workers to enter the country.

The vast majority of the pickers who work on Irish farms each year come from Romania and Bulgaria. However, with only a restricted schedule of commercial flights now available to these countries, the possibility of chartering airplanes to bring in workers is being considered.

The EU has defined seasonal farm labour as essential workers and they are therefore allowed to travel within the Union.

Germany recently relaxed the rules and is allowing 80,000 seasonal workers into the country from Eastern Europe during April and May.

The vast majority of the labour used on Irish fruit and vegetable farms pick strawberries and raspberries from May. Broccoli and iceberg lettuce are two other crops that require significant numbers of workers.

While close to 500,000 Irish people have lost their jobs recently due to the pandemic, sources in the fruit and vegetable sector explained that many of the Bulgarian and Romanian workers have been employed on the same Irish farms for years and are fully trained and experienced.

Farm owners say that low margins in the vegetable and fruit sector meant that employing experienced staff was essential.

Due to the rules around Covid-19, foreign workers coming to Ireland will need to self-isolate for two weeks following their entry to the country.

"It is very important to stress that the workers will be following all guidelines issued by the Government in relation to Covid-19," an industry official said.

In light of the additional restrictions and protocols that are required due to the Covid-19 crisis, IFA president, Tim Cullinan, said growers had incurred considerable extra costs.

Mr Cullinan called on retailers to "dig deep in recognition of the extra costs and considerable effort from growers" which ensure locally-produced fresh produce is supplied to supermarkets.

The IFA has also engaged with the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) in relation to sourcing workers from among those who lost their jobs recently or students who are off from college.

Meanwhile, British farmers have estimated that up to 70,000 seasonal workers are needed to pick fruit and vegetables this summer and autumn.

A massive increase in the number of British people expressing an interest in working on fruit and vegetable farms has been reported by employment agencies.

However, the expectation is that significant numbers of workers from Eastern Europe will still be required by British farmers this year.

Indo Farming