Farmers in Latvia Are Increasingly Unable to Find Workers. They See a Solution in Robots and the Return of Emigrants 0 15

Latvian farmers are increasingly facing a shortage of labor, especially during seasonal work and harvest periods. This was stated in an interview with the LETA agency by Guntis Gutmanis, chairman of the board of the Council of Agricultural Organizations' Cooperation (CAOC). According to him, many farms would prefer to rely solely on local workers, but in practice, this is becoming increasingly difficult.

A similar situation is observed in many other European countries, where the agricultural sector has long depended on attracting foreign workers.

At the same time, Gutmanis emphasized that migration processes should remain under state control. In his opinion, it is much better to have a clear and regulated system for attracting workers than to face illegal employment.

One possible solution that farmers consider is the implementation of modern technologies. Some farms are already investing in the automation and robotization of certain processes, including harvesting. However, this path is not accessible to everyone. Robotization requires significant investments, so only large and financially stable enterprises can take advantage of its benefits.

Another important reserve that agricultural workers see is the return of Latvians working abroad. According to Gutmanis, such processes are already occurring in several countries. He cited Poland as an example, where the number of citizens returning home after working in other European states has noticeably increased in recent years.

For agriculture, this would be the most preferable way to fill the labor shortage, as it involves people who are well acquainted with the local language, culture, and labor market.

At the same time, industry representatives acknowledge that competing for workers is becoming increasingly difficult. Thanks to the free movement within the European Union, many residents choose countries where wages are higher.

Therefore, CAOC believes that Latvian agriculture needs to improve productivity and competitiveness so that enterprises can offer more attractive salaries.

In the interview, Gutmanis also touched on another topic that causes disputes between agricultural workers and experts — the recommendations of the Bank of Latvia on preserving biodiversity. In his opinion, some of the proposed approaches could reduce the competitiveness of local producers. In particular, this concerns recommendations for keeping livestock on large pasture areas, which farmers believe are difficult to implement on large dairy complexes.

The Bank of Latvia, in turn, emphasizes that the developed document is based on the opinions of specialists in the field of nature conservation and is primarily intended to assess the impact of economic activities on biodiversity.

The discussion around the recommendations continues, but within the industry, the main challenge remains the shortage of workers and the search for long-term solutions to this problem.