Keelings found only 78 properly eligible workers out of the near 500 who responded to their call for local employees.

Following the Keelings controversy last week, whereby a plane full of eastern European workers were flown in to pick fruit, the matter was discussed at a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on Covid-19.

The flight from Bulgaria was chartered from Ryanair to bring in workers for Keelings in north Co Dublin.

The Co Dublin-based firm said the workers, who arrived in Ireland having taken a chartered flight from Bulgaria, were health screened by a doctor before they travelled to Sofia Airport

The chief medical officer said such travel was not consistent with public health advice.