Survey highlights the challenge to secure farm labour

Two out of three Irish farmers are finding it difficult to secure sufficient labour for their farms, a new survey from FRS Farm Relief has revealed, while three out of four farmers agree that is difficult to find labour with the skills they require for their farms.

These figures also come as FRS warns that there may be challenges in attracting sufficient farm labour in 2023 - given the limited number of permits being provided to the sector, the move towards full employment in the economy and rising costs.

The survey also revealed that six out of 10 Irish farmers believe they have a poor work/ life balance due to the number of hours they are required to work on their farms, while one in three would not recommend farming as a lifestyle to family or friends.

Four out of five Irish farmers also believe the Green Agenda will have a negative impact on the viability of their farms and six out of 10 feel farmers will require more external labour on farms to address the new emissions reductions. While 55% expect they will require knowledge supports to reduce emissions on their farms.

97% of Irish farmers agreed that leaving their farm in safe hands when they were not there was a priority, while 91% cited access to peak time (spring/ summer) labour support, 90% wanted access to qualified/ vetted labour and 83% to improved expertise in the area of on farm sustainability.

One in two farmers also said they were willing to provide increased premiums/ higher hour rates to secure consistent, qualified labour.

In the last year, the most common uses of external farm labour have been hoof care (70% of Irish farms), machinery work (69%), milking (68%), cow pregnancy scanning (65%), artificial insemination (53%) and freeze branding (53%).

When it comes to those farms looking for labour support to reduce emissions, eight out of ten would need it for grassland management, the same number for energy efficiency improvements, 56% for planting hedgerows/ trees and 54% for soil optimisation. These results come from the first comprehensive survey on Irish farming attitudes to labour needs. Responses were collected from 252 farms all over the country between July and October 2022 by independent market research company, Opinions, on behalf of FRS Farm Relief, supported by FBD Trust.

Speaking about the research, Colin Donnery, Group CEO of FRS Network said: “As this survey highlights, a significant majority of Irish farmers have experienced difficulties securing sufficient labour for their farms this year. Two thirds of Irish farmers have encountered this problem. Another 3 out of 4 say they can’t find labour with all the skills they need. This is the first time a survey of this detail on farm labour has been undertaken and these are startingly figures. To have so many farmers finding the situation so difficult this year should come as an eye opener to anyone who is concerned about the productivity of Irish agriculture and the welfare of the Irish farming community.

“Unfortunately this situation is unlikely to improve in the short term. FRS Farm Relief is forecasting an even more challenging year for farm labour in 2023. The rise to near full employment in the country, coupled with rising costs across the economy will have serious implications for the market and ultimately will be felt by farms across Ireland. This is further exacerbated by the limited number of permits that have been provided for agricultural workers to come to Ireland.

“With six out of 10 farmers already feeling the pressure on their work/ life balance and one in three unwilling to recommend farming as a lifestyle to their families and friends, these are clearly challenging times for Irish farming.

“The survey highlights Irish farms already need support when it comes to hoof care, operating machinery, milking, cow pregnancy scanning and artificial insemination. These needs are likely to grow in the face of the new emission requirements.”