Finland berry prices are expected to rise this summer after authorities rejected around 1,400 seasonal work visa applications from foreign wild berry pickers. Industry representatives warn that the labour shortage could leave much of the country’s otherwise promising harvest uncollected, reducing supplies of fresh and frozen berries.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Ulkoministeriö) received approximately 2,200 applications for the 2026 wild berry season. Around 1,600 had been processed by early July, with nearly nine out of ten resulting in refusals.
Most applications were handled by the Finnish Embassy in Bangkok, as workers from Thailand have traditionally provided a large share of the seasonal workforce employed by Finnish berry companies.
Finland berry prices face pressure from labour shortages
Companies and employers’ organisations say it is now too late to recruit enough workers to replace those whose applications were rejected.
Birgitta Partanen, executive director of the natural products organisation Arctic Aromas (Arktiset Aromit), described the situation as a crisis for the industry. She warned that some businesses could close because they will be unable to collect or process sufficient quantities of berries.
Kristel Nybondas, managing director of the Federation of Agricultural Employers (Maaseudun Työnantajaliitto), said the shortage would inevitably affect consumer prices.
“The berries will remain in the forest. There is no time to organise another alternative, and there are not enough people to do the work,” Nybondas told Yle.
Arto Aholainen, chief executive of the North Savo company Karelian Maukkaat Marjat, reached a similar conclusion. According to Aholainen, fewer pickers will mean a smaller supply reaching the market and consequently higher prices.
The labour shortage may particularly affect wild bilberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, which are collected for sale as fresh products or processed into frozen foods, juices, jams and nutritional products.
Authorities cite exploitation risks and employer failures
The Foreign Ministry said the refusals followed evidence of possible worker exploitation and shortcomings in companies’ compliance with their legal responsibilities.
Wild berry picking became covered by Finland’s Seasonal Workers Act in February 2025. Foreign pickers must now work under an employment contract and obtain a seasonal work visa, certificate or residence permit, depending on the duration of their employment and country of origin.
The reform was intended to strengthen workers’ rights and prevent exploitation. Previously, many foreign pickers operated without a conventional employment relationship and carried much of the financial risk associated with travel, accommodation and the size of the harvest.
For the 2026 application process, Finnish diplomatic missions were able to use reports prepared by labour supervision authorities during the previous season. Applications can be refused when authorities identify a risk of exploitation or conclude that an employer may be unable to fulfil statutory obligations.
The ministry announced in March that applications would face closer scrutiny following several investigations into working conditions in the sector.
Human trafficking cases changed scrutiny of berry companies
The visa decisions come after a series of criminal proceedings involving Finnish berry companies and Thai workers.
In June, the Lapland District Court (Lapin käräjäoikeus) sentenced former Polarica chief executive Jukka Kristo to two and a half years in prison after convicting him of 78 counts of human trafficking. The case, which involved dozens of Thai berry pickers, was described as Finland’s largest human trafficking trial.
Another berry company executive was sentenced in 2025 for aggravated human trafficking involving 62 Thai workers.
The cases exposed a system in which some workers were recruited with misleading information about expected earnings and working conditions. Some arrived in Finland after taking on debt and were unable to earn enough to cover travel, accommodation and other expenses.
Industry representatives argue that the new controls have affected companies beyond those directly involved in criminal cases. Several businesses have appealed negative visa decisions to Finland’s administrative courts.
Domestic pickers cannot fully replace foreign workers
Berry companies are encouraging people living in Finland to collect berries for commercial buyers. Finland’s right of public access, known as everyman’s rights (jokaisenoikeudet), generally allows people to pick wild berries in forests regardless of land ownership.
However, industry groups say domestic collectors cannot replace thousands of organised seasonal workers at such short notice.
Janne Piikivi, chief executive of the northern Finnish berry company Kiantama, said the final effect would become clearer when all visa applications had been processed. He nevertheless expressed hope that more Finnish residents would collect berries for industrial use.
Early forecasts indicate that the 2026 wild berry harvest could be relatively strong. The shortage is therefore linked primarily to harvesting capacity rather than poor growing conditions.
Partanen expects more individuals to sell freshly picked berries directly through social media and local networks. This could make fresh produce available in some areas, but it is unlikely to provide the volumes required by processing companies.
The consequences may become more visible later in the year, when reduced collection affects stocks of frozen berries and processed products. Finland now faces the challenge of protecting vulnerable seasonal workers while maintaining a harvesting system that has long depended on labour recruited from abroad.
