The mushroom sector in NI has been left in a “desperate situation” due to Brexit, and will disappear unless the UK government makes it easier for migrant workers to arrive here and work as pickers, a local grower has warned.

“Mushroom farms have repeatedly sought to recruit local workers but despite our best efforts, this is not producing the numbers required to meet the demand,” said Frank Donnelly from Moy, Co Tyrone.

“We are currently sitting with a vacancy rate of 15.8%, which ultimately drives costs up and means we are not able to be as competitive as growers in other regions,” he added.

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Donnelly, who chairs the NI Mushroom Growers’ Association, is pressing for mushroom pickers to be added to the UK’s shortage occupation list. This sets out occupations where there is a shortage of labour and allows some dispensations within the immigration rules to help fill vacant roles.

Donnelly said NI growers are at a disadvantage to their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland where there is still access to labour from the EU, plus a visa is in place for horticultural workers from the rest of the world. “Our farms are resilient but the cumulative impact of the lack of access to labour, rising business costs as well lack of competitive playing field with our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland means that farmers are increasingly faced with the prospect of closure or moving operations to the south,” he said.

NIMGA represents eight mushroom farms in NI, out of the 10 left in total. The industry is worth approximately £64.5m to the local economy, employs 723 people full-time, provides 10% of all mushrooms sold in the UK and is responsible for 40% of NI’s horticulture output.