John McArdle of the Northern Ireland Mushroom Growers association described the situation re work visa rules for the northern sector recently.
“We outlined our concerns to the MAC with the current visa scheme (the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme) which does not meet the needs of mushroom farms.
The four-month training period for new workers means that by the time a worker has reached the required level of productivity to deliver a return on investment, they have to leave.
MAC recommendations fall far short of what the industry needs, and represent a missed opportunity to secure the future of the mushroom sector in Northern Ireland.”
