There are apparently 16 robots in use in the Irish mushroom sector for harvesting according to latest reports.
The advance towards automation and the use of robots was highlighted in a report from Teagasc this month titled Achievements 2025, which outlined the technical performance of the Irish agri-food sector in 2025.
An abridged version is readable elsewhere in this edition. You can download the pdf version at: https://teagasc.ie/wp-content/uploads/Achievements-2025.pdf
Commenting on the horticulture sector, Teagasc director Prof. Frank O'Mara said: "The big challenge for the horticulture sector really is labour, both availability and price, and labour is now making up over 40% of total costs in the horticulture sector.
"We all know labour is scarce. Labour costs went up by 7% in 2025, so there's a huge interest in automation in the horticulture sector."
The mushroom sector is the biggest part of Ireland's horticulture industry, with that sector producing €150 million worth of mushrooms each year. Prof. O'Mara said: "Harvesting by hand makes up over a third of production costs in mushrooms, so we are seeing some of our mushroom producers now deploying robots or semi-automated solutions."
