One in five paid Northern Ireland farm workers are migrants, according to the latest Departmental figures.
The figures, put together by Dundonald House, showed on November 1, 2017, an estimated 1,404 non-seasonal and seasonal workers from outside the UK and Ireland were employed in agriculture in Northern Ireland.
Using the June Agricultural Census employment figures, the 1,404 migrant workers were found to equate to 20% of the paid agricultural workforce.
However, when compared with the number of paid and unpaid labourers, that level drops to 12%.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) report ‘Migrant Labour in NI Agriculture’ also showed that, of all the migrant workers reported, just 7 were from outside the EU.
The numbers do not include cross-border workers from the Republic of Ireland.
The Migrant Labour in NI Agriculture report presents survey results for the agricultural sector on migrant labour including non-seasonal and seasonal workers plus country of origin information.
The statistics are compiled from a survey of farm businesses completed in November 2017.
Where are they from?
Of the non-seasonal migrant workers present on November 1, 2017:
- 32% were from Bulgaria;
- 28% from Lithuania; and
- 16% from Poland.
Some of the report’s key findings include:
Almost all the responses from farm businesses with migrant labour stated that migrant labour was important to their business.
Horticultural farms were the most likely farm type to employ migrant labour with approximately 70% of the estimated migrant labour used on these farms.
