In short: Yes — but only four farm roles are carved out of DETE's ineligible occupations list by name: dairy farm assistants, pig farm assistants, pig managers and horticulture workers. Dairy and pig roles sit at €36,605 a year (€18.05 an hour); horticulture workers at €32,691 (€16.12 an hour). Meat processor operatives are eligible too, at the €32,691 rate, though that is factory work rather than farm work. CA Recruitment confirms eligibility and manages the full DETE permit and visa process.
Struggling to Find Reliable Farm Workers?
You've tried the local ads. You've used agencies. The workers who do show up leave after a few weeks for something less physical, and you're back to square one. Meanwhile the herd still needs milking at five in the morning, the pig unit doesn't run itself, and the harvest isn't going to wait while you run another recruitment campaign.
It's not just inconvenient. It's costing you money, putting pressure on your existing staff, and limiting what your operation can take on.
- Reliable people who will stay past the first month are nearly impossible to find locally
- Agency workers come and go — no consistency, no investment in the work
- Running understaffed damages animal welfare standards and output
- Your permanent staff end up covering gaps that shouldn't be there
- Taking on additional land, livestock, or contracts isn't possible without a stable team
The agricultural labour shortage in Ireland is structural. It's been getting worse for years and local recruitment alone is not going to fix it. Irish farms are increasingly looking overseas — not as a last resort, but as the practical solution.
Why Farms Are Hiring Overseas Workers
They Come to Work
Overseas agricultural workers have relocated specifically for the role. They did not stumble into farming because nothing else was available. That deliberate commitment shows in attendance, reliability, and the willingness to do the physical work that local candidates increasingly won't.
They Stay
A worker placed via employment permit has tied their move to this specific job with this specific employer. The transience you get with casual or agency hires is not the dynamic. Retention on permit placements is consistently better than anything the local market produces.
Relevant Experience
Many Filipino candidates come with direct agricultural experience — dairy, livestock, crops, horticulture. The Philippines has a large agricultural workforce. We source candidates with practical farm experience, not people who've only worked in urban settings.
You Can Plan Again
When you have workers who are going to be on the farm for the duration of their permit, you can plan your season, your herd size, your contracts. Staffing stops being the thing that dictates what you can and can't do.
Agricultural Roles We Help Fill
Irish agriculture sits on DETE's ineligible occupations list, but four farm roles are carved out of it by name — and those are the ones we place. Each qualifies for the General Employment Permit route:
🐄 Dairy Farm Operatives
Milking, feeding, calving assistance, housing management, and general herd care. Suitable for operations milking 100 cows and up where consistent labour is essential. Minimum annual salary: €36,605.
🐷 Pig Unit Workers
Farrowing, weaning, feeding, health monitoring, and unit maintenance. Pig unit work requires attention to detail and a tolerance for the environment — Filipino candidates placed here have typically worked in livestock settings before. Minimum annual salary: €36,605.
🌿 Horticulture Workers
Planting, propagation, picking and grading for vegetable, fruit, and flower operations. Horticulture worker is carved out of DETE's ineligible list by name, at a reduced salary threshold of €32,691 per annum (€16.12 an hour). The three other eligible farm roles — dairy farm assistant, pig farm assistant and pig manager — sit at €36,605 (€18.05 an hour). Horticulture worker is also capped: DETE released 971 General Employment Permits for the role from 13 May 2026. The quota was still open when we last checked on 6 August 2026, but once it fills, applications already submitted are rejected — so timing matters. Grower-grade and pack-house roles fall under different occupation codes that are not carved out, so the job title on the application matters.
🍄 Mushroom Pickers
Picking, casing, watering, and harvesting on commercial mushroom units. This is the work DETE classes as horticulture worker, which is carved out of the ineligible list by name, and mushroom growing is one of the sectors where overseas recruitment via employment permit has been in place the longest in Ireland. Minimum annual salary: €32,691 (€16.12 an hour). A role written up as "grower" or "horticultural tradesperson" falls under a different code that is not carved out.
If your specific role isn't listed above, contact us and we'll confirm eligibility against the current DETE occupations list before you commit to anything. One question worth answering upfront: Ireland's Seasonal Employment Permit is not currently running. DETE granted 33 seasonal permits in the 2025 pilot and only 23 workers arrived; the department has called the pilot inadequately tested and is running a second one over the 2027 growing season, so there is no short-season route at present. Permanent picking and harvesting work still qualifies as horticulture worker — what you cannot do is bring someone in for a few weeks of harvest cover, and pack-house packing and grading sit under a separate code that is not carved out.
Not sure if your farm qualifies? Let's talk.
The 50/50 workforce requirement catches some employers off guard. We'll assess your situation for free and tell you exactly where you stand — no obligation.
Real Results for Irish Farms
Irish farms and food producers working with CA Recruitment have stabilised their operations during a period when agricultural labour has been consistently hard to find. Workers placed via employment permit tend to stay — the process involves a significant commitment on their part, and that shows on the farm day to day.
"We had been struggling to fill two pig unit positions for months. CA Recruitment found us two excellent Filipino workers within six months. They settled in immediately and the work ethic is exceptional."
"We needed reliable staff for our shop in Midleton and couldn't find the right people locally. CA Recruitment placed two excellent Filipino workers with us — both have been brilliant from day one. Couldn't recommend them highly enough."
We Handle the Hard Parts
When you work with CA Recruitment, you don't have to deal with:
- Searching for experienced agricultural workers in an overseas market you've never hired from
- Verifying experience and references across multiple time zones
- Understanding DETE's employment permit system and which roles qualify
- Preparing and submitting permit documentation to DETE
- Running the Labour Market Needs Test across the correct platforms
- Coordinating the visa process from the Philippine end
- Figuring out arrival logistics and initial paperwork on your own
You tell us the role, the farm, and what you need. We do the rest.
Sourcing & Vetting
We source agricultural candidates in the Philippines with verified practical experience matched to your operation: dairy, pig, horticulture or mushroom. Experience is checked before anyone reaches your shortlist.
Shortlisting for Your Farm
You get a shortlist of candidates matched to your specific farm operation — the type of work, the location, the hours. You review and interview. We make sure everyone you're speaking to is a realistic fit before you spend time on them.
Permit Process Support
We guide you through the employment permit requirements, prepare documentation, run the Labour Market Needs Test, and manage the DETE application. You don't need to understand the system — that's what we're here for.
Visa Coordination
We coordinate the employment visa from the Philippine end and manage the documentation requirements on both sides so delays don't come from paperwork.
Arrival & Onboarding Support
We help the worker with arrival, IRP registration with Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), PPS number, and bank account setup. We're available for the first 90 days.
Simple Process: From First Call to First Day
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1
Tell Us What You Need
Tell us the role, the farm operation, and what the job involves day to day. We confirm whether the role and your business qualify — specifically checking the 50/50 workforce rule (at least 50% EEA, Swiss or UK citizens required) and the applicable salary threshold for your role.
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2
We Source and Shortlist
We source candidates in the Philippines with verified agricultural experience matched to your operation, check references, and shortlist against your specific requirements. We also run the Labour Market Needs Test — 28 consecutive days of advertising across two notices: one with the Department of Social Protection's employment services and EURES, which you get from a single listing on JobsIreland.ie, and one on a second online jobs platform. Both must run the full 28 days, unaltered. Managed entirely by us.
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3
You Interview and Choose
You review the shortlist and interview the candidates who look right for your farm. You make the decision. We make sure everyone you're speaking to meets the permit requirements before the interview stage.
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4
We Guide the Permit and Documentation Process
We prepare and submit the DETE permit application and coordinate the employment visa from the Philippine end. DETE publishes live processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie — we track progress and keep you updated throughout.
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5
Your Worker Arrives Ready to Start
We support the worker through arrival, IRP registration with Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), PPS number, and bank account. We check in during the first 90 days.
Common Concerns, Answered Honestly
We source specifically for agricultural roles, not general workers who happen to be available. The Philippines has a large rural agricultural workforce and many candidates come with direct farm experience. We don't shortlist anyone who hasn't done physical farm work before. If a candidate's background doesn't hold up, they don't reach your shortlist.
Filipino workers placed in agricultural roles typically come from rural backgrounds themselves. Many have grown up in farming communities and the pace and environment of rural Ireland is not the shock it might be for someone from an urban background. We factor location into the matching process — we won't place someone who has told us they can't handle a remote rural posting.
The permit process has moving parts, but your involvement is limited to the consultation, reviewing a shortlist, and conducting interviews. CA Recruitment manages the Labour Market Needs Test, DETE permit documentation, visa coordination, and arrival support. Most farmers find it far simpler than expected once they realise they don't have to learn the system — that's what we're here for. The Work Permit Guide covers the full process in plain language if you want to read ahead.
A worker placed via employment permit has their immigration status tied to this specific employer. They can't simply walk away and start another job the way a local or casual hire can. That creates a very different retention dynamic. Our FAQ page has more detail on how placements and replacements work.
From first call to the worker starting on your farm, the realistic timeline is 6 to 8 months. This includes the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, DETE permit processing, visa approval, and travel from the Philippines. DETE processing times vary — we track the current position and factor it into your timeline from day one. If your farm is short-handed now, start the process now. Waiting doesn't shorten the timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, for specific roles. The main farm roles we place — dairy farm assistants, pig farm assistants, pig managers and horticulture workers — all qualify for the General Employment Permit (GEP), because DETE's ineligible occupations list carves each of them out by name. The role must also meet the minimum salary threshold and pass a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test. CA Recruitment manages this entire process — from the Labour Market Needs Test through to DETE application submission and arrival support. See our Work Permit Guide for a full explanation of how the process works.
Dairy farm assistants, pig farm assistants, pig managers and horticulture workers. DETE's ineligible occupations list carves each of these out by name, which is what makes them eligible for the General Employment Permit. General farm labourers and agricultural machinery drivers are not carved out, so an employer cannot sponsor them on a General Employment Permit at any salary. If your specific role isn't listed, contact us and we'll confirm eligibility against the current DETE occupations list before you commit to anything.
Minimum annual salaries under the General Employment Permit:
- Dairy farm assistants, pig farm assistants and pig managers — €36,605 per annum, based on a 39-hour week at €18.05 an hour
- Horticulture workers — €32,691 per annum, based on a 39-hour week at €16.12 an hour (DETE applies a reduced rate for this category)
The hourly rate is what DETE checks, so a longer week costs more: a 40-hour contract needs €37,544 for a dairy farm assistant and €33,529.60 for a horticulture worker. Salary here means basic pay only — bonuses, shift allowances and overtime don't count towards it. You must also pay at least the National Minimum Wage (€14.15/hr as of January 2026) for all hours worked. The correct threshold for your role is confirmed during the free consultation.
From initial consultation to the worker starting on your farm, the realistic timeline is 6 to 8 months. This includes the 28-day Labour Market Needs Test, DETE permit processing, visa approval, and travel from the Philippines. DETE processes applications in date order of receipt — check live processing dates at enterprise.gov.ie. We track these and keep you updated throughout.
Yes. At least 50% of your workforce must be EEA, Swiss or UK citizens at the time of the permit application. This applies regardless of farm size. Two narrow exemptions exist. The first is the sole-employee situation, where the overseas worker would be your business's only employee — which rarely fits an operating farm, and which is not available for the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The second covers certain Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland client companies holding a formal letter of support from that agency; its conditions are contested, so we assess eligibility case by case. CA Recruitment checks your eligibility during the free consultation before anything goes to DETE.
Yes. English is an official language of the Philippines and is the primary medium of instruction throughout secondary and tertiary education. Day-to-day communication on the farm — following instructions, discussing tasks, working alongside your team — is not an issue. Many of our candidates have also worked in structured environments where English was used daily.
No recruitment fee to CA Recruitment until the worker arrives and starts on your farm. The main external cost is the €1,000 DETE General Employment Permit fee for a 6-to-24-month permit (€500 for 6 months or less), paid by the employer on application. All costs are explained during the free consultation — no obligation to proceed. Book yours here.