A major study of the labour demands and practices on Irish dairy farms is to be carried out by Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, with University College Cork.
The study, which will take two years to complete, will focus on 140 dairy farms in a sector under increasing pressure to find qualified personnel.
Dr Seamus Crosse, Head of Dairy Production Research at Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork, said the supply and cost of labour had become critical barriers to milk production on many farms.
"It is therefore vital that objective information is available on the obstacles to labour supply and guidance is provided on maximising labour productivity," he said.
He said a recent Teagasc survey of dairy farmers in Limerick showed that a 12-hour working day was common.
"This and other surveys also showed the huge contribution which family members, particularly spouses and children, are making to the daily running of dairy farms," said Dr Crosse.
"With better off-farm job and income opportunities now available for spouses and more financially attractive summer and part-time jobs available for children, the contribution of family labour is going to decline." Dr Crosse said that on larger dairy farms the cost of labour can be as high as 20p for every gallon of milk produced. He said such costs would form part of the study and would be assessed in the context of the alternative job opportunities available. Announcing details of the study in Michelstown, Co Cork, yesterday, Dr Tom O'Dwyer, chairman of Teagasc, said the researchers would regularly visit the 140 farms.
The teams will carry out an independent assessment of farming methods as well as the labour system, said Dr O'Dwyer.
The amount of labour required for major tasks and the length of the average working day for farmers will be recorded.
The study follows reports of dairy farmers going out of the business because of the difficulty of finding labour.
In the horticulture sector, workers have been brought in from abroad to help with fruit and vegetable crops.