Finland denies 1,400 seasonal visas for wild berry pickers

Finland’s foreign ministry has rejected roughly 1,400 of about 2,200 seasonal work visa applications for wild berry pickers this year, Yle reports.

The decision follows legal changes and court rulings tied to labour exploitation in the berry industry. In June, a former managing director of the berry company Polarica was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for 78 counts of human trafficking, while a Thai coordinator received a nine-month sentence. In 2025, wild berry picking was brought under Finland’s seasonal work law to curb abuse.

Industry representatives have criticised the visa denials as hasty, arguing that some rulings are not yet final. They warn of potential bankruptcies and higher berry prices, with consumers already reluctant to pay more than €10 per litre of wild blueberries. Some vendors note that customers would rather pay the same amount for a shot of spirits in a restaurant than for a litre of berries at a market stall.

Sweden has similarly halted seasonal visas for non-EU berry pickers, granting only 89 last year and none this year. Swedish berry firms now source pickers from Eastern Europe, raising concerns that exploitation may persist under less scrutiny.