A total of 33 Seasonal Employment Permits were granted under the new pilot scheme this year.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) confirmed to Agriland that there are 23 seasonal permit holders in the state currently.

"One permit holder decided not to come to the state and nine visa applications were unsuccessful," the DETE spokesperson said.

"The pilot permit holders are from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan."

The Seasonal Employment Permit is a new short-term employment permit.

This year, a pilot scheme is operating to test its long-term viability.

The permit allows non-EEA nationals to work in Ireland for three to seven months in a 12-month period.

The DETE spokesperson said that the duration of the work permit "depends on the employment contract, however the maximum end date for the scheme as prescribed is November 14, 2025".

"The pilot scheme was limited to horticultural operatives in the soft fruit or vegetable growing sector," the spokesperson added.

The minimum annual remuneration threshold for these permits has been set at €30,000 per annum, pro rata to the duration of the employment.

In relation to expanding the scheme, the spokesperson said that following completion of the pilot, an evaluation will be carried out to assess the pilot progress, and a report will then be prepared for the minister.

The department this week published the latest figures on work permits issued overall to the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector this year.

The department issued 109 work permits to the sector in July, bringing the total number issued so far in 2025 to 1,116.

The updated figures show that 61 permits were issued in June this year, compared to 117 in May.

The highest number of permits so far this year were issued in February with 250, followed by 243 in March.

Across all sectors, a total of 17,259 permits have issued in 2025 so far.