On the ongoing controversy over Keelings and Bulgarian workers, it's worth noting the following:
1/ The ability for migrant seasonal agriculture workers to continue harvesting fruit and vegetables in other member states was specifically requested by EU leaders, including the Taosieach Leo Varadkar, during a video conference on March 26.
2/ The previous day the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed also made a strong appeal during a virtual meeting of EU agriculture ministers for the continued free movement of labour and the need to avoid any disruption to agrifood supply chains through border closures.
3/ During their video conference, EU leaders asked the European Commission to draw up guidelines to ensure that seasonal workers, which in some cases are regarded as “critical”, were able to continue working.
4/ In their joint statement, EU leaders promised to “urgently address, with the assistance of the [European] Commission, the...problems [of]... cross-border and seasonal workers who have to be able to continue essential activities while avoiding further spread of the virus.”
5/ The Commission duly issued guidelines on March 30: seasonal ag workers in some cases performed “critical” harvesting and planting functions and should be treated the same as key workers such as healthcare professionals, researchers, pharmaceutical workers etc
6/ The Commission guidelines state: “Some sectors of the economy, in particular the agricultural sector, rely heavily in several Member States on seasonal workers from other MS. In such a situation, MS shd treat those workers in the same manner as [critical] workers..."
7/ The importance of seasonal harvesters was also raised on March 25 by French, Spanish and Italian agriculture ministers during a video conference with other member states - including Ireland - the day before the leaders’ call.
8/ During the meeting Michael Creed, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, said the need to fight the spread of the coronavirus had to be “underpinned” by the “continuity of food production and supply across the European Union.”
9/ According to a speaking note, seen by RTE News, Mr Creed highlighted the importance of maintaining the free movement of labour which was “particularly important in ensuring the continued effective functioning of agri-food supply chains.”
10/ He called on the Commission to ensure that “border checks do not unnecessarily disrupt the free movement of goods or labour,” especially when it came to agri-food supply chains.
11/ The European Commission has said EU member states should act in a coordinated manner when it comes to the closure of borders, and the issues of cross border and seasonal workers, following disruptive scences at borders when the pandemic first struck.
