A religious outreach service for migrant workers in Kilkenny has said some unscrupulous employers and farmers are paying refugees as little as €1 an hour, and are providing accommodation for workers in cattle sheds.
The Irish Farmers' Association has said that if the allegations are true, it would totally condemn any farmer for such practices.
The Catholic church's diocesan outreach service in Kilkenny, known as Dochas, says it has evidence that some migrant workers are working in the south-east for €1 or €2 per hour.
The director of Dochas, Fr Willie Purcell, says he recently found that a local farmer was feeding migrant workers in his employment bread covered in brown sauce for their dinner.
