The warning comes from the CEO of Livsmedelsföretagen, Björn Hellman, after it has become clear that this year only 89 Thai berry pickers will be granted permission to come to Sweden.
The figure can be compared to none at all last year, but for example over 5,000 berry pickers two years ago.
The Migration Agency's rejection risks erasing an entire industry, says Björn Hellman to SVT Västerbotten.
Does not meet working conditions
The background to the fact that only 89 out of a total of 2,397 applicants have now been approved, is that the Migration Agency still believes that the employees risk not having their working conditions met.
"It's about, among other things, that there must be an employment contract signed by both parties and that the employment conditions must be in line with Swedish collective agreements. For the majority of the applications that have come in this year, the requirements have not been met", says Hanna Geurtsen, deputy mission manager for work permits at the Migration Agency in a press release.
A difference this year is that employers must apply for permits through the EU's seasonal employment directive. This means that the berry pickers are thereby directly employed through a Swedish company and not through a foreign staffing company.
Alarm about vulnerability
In previous years, there have been warnings about how vulnerable berry pickers have been forced to work 12 hours a day and, among other things, the Work Environment Authority has directed sharp criticism.
From Livsmedelsföretagens side, one is now questioning the Migration Agency's decision and claims that the authority has made this decision based on the situation in previous years.
Despite the fact that the applications are now made through the seasonal employment directive with Swedish companies as employers - that is, new employers. We appeal that the issue should be addressed at the political level, says Björn Hellman, who has written a letter to Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M).
