Not This Summer: Finland Rejects Most Seasonal Visa Applications for Foreign Berry Pickers

According to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, around 2,200 applications for seasonal work visas have been received for the 2026 berry-picking season. Authorities have processed roughly 1,600 applications so far. Most of them,1,400, were rejected.

"The most common reason for refusing an application is that the authorities are not convinced the employer will be able to fulfil its obligations," said Katja Luopajärvi, Director of the Visa Unit at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Most applications were lodged through Finland's embassy in Bangkok, which handles applications from Thailand, the main source of seasonal berry pickers.   Small numbers of applications were also submitted in Kazakhstan, Kenya, Vietnam, Nepal and India.

“Blood Berries”

In February 2023, Jarat Khumkhainam, a member of the Thai Parliament specifically addressed questions to the then Minister of Labour of the Kingdom of Thailand, concerning the seasonal migration of Thai workers to pick wild berries in Finland and Sweden. It was referred to as ‘blood berries’ because of  the insufficient wages paid to workers, which failed to cover their expenses,  and the physically demanding nature of the job. Many Thai workers returned home burdened by debt, with some never having received the wages they were promised or even knowing the full extent of their financial obligations.

Seasonal migration, particularly that of wild berry pickers, has represented the largest flow of seasonal migrants from Thailand to both Finland and Sweden.

The foundation of the berry business rests on Everyman’s Right (Jokamiehenoikeus in Finland, Allemansrätten in Sweden). This historic law allows anyone to roam freely through forests and pick wild berries, even on private land, without the landowner's permission.  However, locals rarely pick on a commercial scale. To harvest enough volume for global supply chains, Finnish and Swedish companies have long relied heavily on thousands of seasonal workers flown in from abroad—mostly from rural Thailand.

Before 2024, Thai nationals picked about 80–90 percent of commercially harvested berries in Finland.

New Rules

From 2025,  wild-berry picking became subject to seasonal work rules with an amendment to the Seasonal Workers Act . Foreign berry pickers were required to work under employment contracts following a Finnish Foreign Ministry decision. The requirement replaced visa access with a residence permit tied to employment.

The aim is to improve the position of berry pickers and prevent labour exploitation.

Authorities also said recent criminal investigations and legal proceedings involving companies operating in the wild-berry sector are considered during the visa review process when relevant.

The ministry stressed that Finnish diplomatic missions are legally required to identify and prevent risks related to labour exploitation and human trafficking when processing visa applications. However, officials acknowledged that not all cases can be detected before workers arrive in Finland, making cooperation between government agencies throughout the harvest season essential.

While authorities are strengthening oversight, the government emphasised that companies recruiting foreign berry pickers remain primarily responsible for ensuring lawful employment conditions, fair treatment, and adequate accommodation for seasonal workers.

The legislative changes were introduced following growing scrutiny of working conditions in Finland's berry industry, where reports of exploitation have prompted calls for stronger protections for migrant labourers.

Largest Human Trafficking Trial

In June 2026, Lapland District Court handed down its verdict in Finland's largest-ever human trafficking case.

The victims in the trial were dozens of migrant berry pickers from Thailand.

The main defendant, the former chief executive of berry company Polarica, Jukka Kristo, was handed a two-and-a-half-year prison term, while his business partner Kalyakorn "Durian" Phongphit received a nine-month jail sentence.

The court found both of the defendants guilty of 78 counts of human trafficking.

Kristo, Phongphit and Polarica were also ordered to pay the victims 500,000 euros in compensation for suffering and financial loss.

The court also ordered Polarica to pay a fine of 150,000 euros.

The defendants both denied any wrongdoing in court.

About 2,600 wild-berry pickers were granted a seasonal work visa for Finland for summer 2025. About 60 applicants received a negative decision.

Decade-Long Cartel

Finnish authorities have proposed fines against four wild berry companies after uncovering a long-running cartel involving coordinated berry purchasing prices and market information sharing.

Finland’s Competition and Consumer Authority said the companies coordinated wild berry purchase prices and exchanged commercially sensitive market information through phone calls, text messages and WhatsApp between 2013 and 2023.

Authorities are seeking approximately €9.4 million in fines against Arctic International Oy, Kaskein Marja Oy, Marja Bothnia Berries Oy and Polarica AB. A fifth company, Kiantama Oy, avoided penalties after cooperating with investigators.

How Much Does it Cost

Wild blueberries, lingonberries and cloudberries are key raw materials used across Finland’s food, beverage and cosmetics industries due to their antioxidant and health-related properties.

The total biological yield of wild berries ripening in Finnish forests averages around 500 million kilograms (500,000 tonnes) annually. However, because the forests are vast and sparsely populated and the picking season is short, only 5-10% of the total wild berry crop is annually harvested.

In stable years, the turnover of the primary commercial market for berries has fluctuated between 15 and 25 million euros per year (the amount that the collection points pay to the pickers).

Because wild berries must be hand-picked—as mechanical harvesting damages the fragile forest ecosystems—labor shortages directly translate to lower supply and higher market prices for wild berry extracts, frozen fruits, and natural cosmetics ingredients globally.

If we consider the entire business related to wild plants (which includes wild berries, mushrooms, herbs and their primary processing for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries), the total annual turnover of companies in Finland is about 780 million euros.

The market is currently in a deep crisis. The above-mentioned human trafficking trials and the large-scale investigation of the Antimonopoly Committee against the 5 largest companies have effectively blocked the usual supply chains. Due to a catastrophic shortage of labor the real commercial cash turnover in the 2025 and 2026 seasons fell to a historic low.

Sources: The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Helsinki Times, Bloomberg , Valtioneuvosto, Yle