Farmhand work permits extended for daff harvest

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Work permits for seasonal farm workers have been extended for an extra two months to ensure that Jersey’s daffodil crop gets harvested on time.

The Minister for Home Affairs, Constable Len Norman, agreed to 130 seven-month seasonal work permits for non-European farmhands back in November.

The decision to provide the permits was welcomed by local farmers, but after further consultation with the Jersey Farmers’ Union, the Minister agreed to extend the permits by a further two months.

The change means that the work permits will be valid for nine months in total, allowing the workers to continue working when the daffodils are in season.

It comes after local farmers implored policymakers to give them more support to address struggles within an agricultural industry hit hard by recruitment shortages and the increase to the minimum wage. 

The 130 permits will be made available for workers from outside of the European Economic Area who will be able to help on Jersey's farms for a period of nine months until they must leave for at least three months until they can return again.

Pictured: Local vegetable farmer Christine Hellio has previously called for more support for her hard-hit industry.

The Union specifically requested that the permits be extended for an extra two months so that after the potato harvest, the foreign workers would be able to stay on to help with the daffodil season.

The work permit scheme is so far being considered as a temporary solution, but has been met with much enthusiasm from the local farming community. Jersey vegetable farmer Christine Hellio previously told Express that the introduction of the initiative shows that "at last someone is listening to the problems" local agriculture has been facing recently.

A spokesperson for the Department also says that “it is expected that a nine month permit will assist in attracting more highly skilled agricultural workers”.