Shocking data: Hungary’s dairy farm industry dominated by Filipino, Indian, and Sikh guest workers

According to György Raskó, a Hungarian agricultural economist, 5-600 guest workers from India and the Philippines work in the Hungarian dairy farm industry because it is more difficult to find Hungarian workforce in that sector.

Based on Szeretlek Magyarország, the number of guest workers in the sector is continuously growing. An advantage of employing an Indian guest worker is their religion, which commands them to treat dairy cattle well.

He mentioned Homokszentgyörgy as an example, where the owner could not find Hungarian workforce for the 700 Holstein Friesian dairy cattle and 600 hectares of farmland. Interestingly, they even employ people from South America, e.g. from Guatemala or Venezuela.

Mr Raskó said that employing guest workers in the industry started 20 years ago. Now, mostly Indian, Filipino and Sikh workers satisfy workforce needs. He added that Asians in the dairy industry are trustworthy and hard-working, which is crucial since milking is a 24/7 job, and one cannot be late. Since one of the basic teachings of Hinduism is the love for animals, Hindu workers start with an advantage.

Good salaries, free accommodation

Raskó shared another strange piece of data: Hungarians are no longer keen on keeping livestock. Livestock density is the second lowest in the European Union, with 0.4/hectare. That is because livestock almost disappeared from households and farms and is concentrated in huge compounds.

The salaries are acceptable in the sector, an average of USD 1,000/month. Furthermore, the accommodation is free. They remain here for years to collect as much money as possible. Moreover, in some compounds, family members exchange with each other.

Raskó said Hungary can only employ guest workers in the livestock industry. Such a scheme would not be profitable in the crop husbandry sector. There, they must employ Roma people who are “not trustworthy enough”.