Clear communication one of the most important factors for farm workers
Clear communication of responsibilities and duties was one of the most important factors when working on a farm.
A recent study found that over 50% of farm relief operators valued clear communication as an important factor for working on a farm.
According to the 2026 Survey of Farm Relief Operators conducted by Farm Relief Services Co-Op ( FRS Co-Op), over 50% of respondents ranked clear communication of duties and responsibilities as the most important factor for working on a farm.
This was closely followed by proper rostering, with 44% of farm relief operators agreeing that start and finish times are the most important factor of working on a farm.
The findings come at a time when Ireland’s farming industry is increasingly reliant on external labour support, with 9 out of 10 farms now using external labour to various degrees throughout the year.
Head of agriculture at FRS Co-Op, Neil Keane, said: “The expansion of the dairy sector since the end of EU milk quotas has placed more demands on Irish farms and significantly increased workloads.
To manage this challenge, the majority of Irish dairy farmers now rely on some form of external labour to help run their farm business efficiently.” The 2026 survey reveals that farm operators value the flexibility of working in agriculture, as well as the short commute time to work.
Over 80% of respondents said they preferred to have flexibility in their working hours on farms over structured working times like a 9-to-5, Monday to Friday.
Over 50% of farm workers have less than 20 minutes commute to work, and a further 26% commute between 20 and 30 minutes to work. The vast majority of respondents found that a short commuting time is an important consideration in choosing to work in farming.
When asked what the farming industry needs to do to retain existing employees or to attract new talent, more than 56% of farm workers cited the need for higher wages as the most important factor.
This was followed in second by a need to define clearer pathways for career progression, while reducing the number of unsociable hours of work was ranked third.
