Organic farm must pay €8,000 compensation after telling HIV positive volunteer to leave

A US national, who is a lifelong environmental activist with a special interest in food justice, came to Ireland to work as a volunteer on an organic farm.

An organic farm discriminated against a volunteer trainee when telling him to leave after learning that he was HIV positive.

At the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), Adjudicator, Thomas O’Driscoll made the finding and has ordered the organic farm to pay €8,000 compensation to the man after finding that the request for the man to leave the farm in June 2019 was discriminatory on the grounds of disability under the Equal Status Act.