FRS Farm Relief is looking to add an additional 300 workers to its farm panel ahead of an anticipated surge in the demand for farm labour going into 2023.

The recruitment drive is set to see the panel grow by about one quarter of its current size and the increased relief capacity will be used to both cater for a higher demand among existing farmer customers and allow for new farms to use the service.

Milking and general farm labour relief are set to see particularly high demand, as the recruitment campaign will see farm relief workers employed across the whole country.

Those interested in applying to the panel can call into the FRS tent at the National Ploughing Championships over the coming week to enquire about applying.

'Very busy'

“This year has been a very busy year for FRS Farm Relief, with our panel of farm workers growing to over 1,200 and more than 5,000 farms across the country making use of our service,” FRS Network CEO Colin Donnery said.

“As we look ahead to 2023, we are expecting a further surge in demand, with many of the farmers we are working with indicating they want to increase their use of our services, while our regional offices are also experiencing a significant level of interest from further farms who are keen to benefit from FRS Farm Relief’s assistance.

“We can think of no better time to launch this recruitment drive than at the National Ploughing Championships, given its significance in the Irish agricultural calendar.

“Anyone who is attending the Ploughing and would like to know more should pop into the FRS marquee or chat to any of the FRS personnel who will be in attendance,” he commented.

FRS’s campaign was announced just hours after the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) announced that its members would be hiring an additional 80 private advisers across the country.

A further staff increase among ASA members will see 50 admin staff recruited over the coming weeks also.