Key facts
- 1,100 work permits issued to the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector from January to May 2026.
- This represents a 10% increase compared to the 995 permits issued in the same period last year.
- Permits are primarily for meat processing, horticulture (especially mushroom growers), and dairy farms.
- The health and social work sector received the highest number of permits (4,204) across all sectors.
- The employment permits system facilitates the recruitment of non-EEA nationals for skills shortages.
The agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector has been issued 1,100 work permits in the first five months of 2026, according to figures from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). This represents an approximate 10% increase compared to the 995 permits issued during the same period in the previous year. May saw the highest number of permits issued in the sector with 340, followed by April with 326 and March with 133. The majority of these permits are allocated to meat processing operations, horticulture enterprises, particularly mushroom growers, and dairy farms. Across all sectors, a total of 15,535 work permits have been issued this year, with health and social work activities receiving the largest share at 4,204 permits. The employment permits system, administered under the Employment Permits Act 2024, is designed to address skills and labour shortages by facilitating the recruitment of non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals when domestic or EEA talent pools are insufficient. Ministers Peter Burke and Alan Dillon recently announced updates to the system to support industries facing acute shortages, including the agri-food sector.