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Job description

Harvesters pick, trim, grade and pack fresh organic mushrooms in our climate-controlled growing rooms, including picking from upper shelves using picking trolleys/platforms.

Responsibilities

• Hand-harvest organic mushrooms from growing beds/shelves to required size and quality specifications.
• Trim stalks and grade mushrooms by size and quality as you pick.
• Pack mushrooms directly into punnets, trays or boxes to customer specification and weight.
• Weigh and label packed product accurately, using picker barcode labels so output is recorded correctly.
• Work to daily picking targets and harvest plans set by supervisors.
• Follow food hygiene, organic certification and health and safety rules at all times, including PPE and handwashing.
• Keep growing rooms and work areas clean and tidy; report crop problems or pests to supervisors.
• Work in climate-controlled growing rooms, including standing, bending and reaching for long periods.
• Pick from upper shelves at height using picking trolleys/platforms, following safe working at height procedures.
• Carry out other reasonable duties related to mushroom production as required.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Able to work at height on picking trolleys/platforms safely (training provided).
• Able to stand, bend and reach for long periods in a cool, humid environment.
• Available to work 6 days per week from a 7-day rota, including weekends.
• Attention to detail for grading and quality standards.
• Able to follow hygiene, food safety and health and safety instructions.
• No experience needed, as full training is given, including safe working at height.

Desirable Skills

• Previous mushroom harvesting, fruit picking or horticultural experience.
• Experience working to piece-rate or productivity targets.

Further Information

Salary: Pay is piece rate per kilo, with a guaranteed minimum of £12.71 per hour. Work Time: Guaranteed 32 paid hours per week (up to 38 hours). We run 7-day production on a rota, and harvesters must be available 6 days per week, including weekends, variable shifts. We are recruiting 4 Mushroom Harvesters on 6-month fixed-term contracts starting 1 January 2027. McArdle Mushrooms is a family-run organic mushroom grower near Armagh, producing since 1972 and fully organic since 2001.