UNITE BOOSING THE MOO-D

 

UNITE BOOSING THE MOO-D

Unite brings in better pay and conditions at AI Services  

Highly skilled Irish technicians who work for AI services by artificially inseminating cows for farmers, should finally enjoy much better pay and conditions, thanks to Unite.

Artificial insemination (AI), which has revolutionised cattle production worldwide since the 1940s, has been widely adopted across Ireland as it enables cattle semen to be stored for years. This means farmers don’t need to keep bulls on the farm for breeding with 25-30 female cows.

Assisted reproductive technology permits cattle producers to efficiently introduce desired genetics into their herds. This ensures farmers can be confident that the born calf will either later produce milk or can be raised for meat production.

A test tube is used to deposit fertile semen as close as possible to the ovum inside the female cattle’s reproductive tract.

Well-managed AI programs consistently report conception rates exceeding 65% in healthy cows.

The whole AI process though is complicated, requiring great skill and diligence. Yet for decades those who have worked to provide this essential service for cattle farming across the agricultural industry that forms a major part of the Irish economy, north and south, have been very badly paid.

Working without contracts they have been forced into toiling long hours on a ‘per cow born’ basis that left them earning below the minimum wage. This all began to change when Unite were contacted in August 2025. A meeting with Unite regional officer Albert Hewitt, at a remote filling station saw a substantial number of workers, some with three decades of experience in their trade, attend to raise their concerns.

Hewitt represents workers at Lakeland Dairies and Caterpillar plus Community Members. He explained how the union would be able to help them organise in order to improve their working lives and recruited the technicians as members.

“They had realised their wages were never going up and agreed to join.”

Armed with such strong backing from his new Unite members, Hewitt, approached A.I Services seeking a voluntary recognition agreement.

The company  has responded positively even employing a new Human Resources Manager.

Hewitt said: “I am working with her on this including getting new contracts drawn up. I am confident the issues can be resolved so that there is a tracking system that records how many hours are being worked. A pay rate that, at the very least, initially exceeds the minimum wage can form the basis for long term further improvements.“