Mushroom growers were fined a combined €1.5m for breaking employment laws and avoiding tax last year and four large firms face criminal prosecution, according to a new report by the labour inspectorate.

Of the 98 firms inspected, more than a quarter employed illegal immigrants – a total 120 people were found without proper papers.
Other firms paid their largely Polish and Bulgarian workers well below the minimum wage, forced them to work longer than the statutory 38 hour week and charged large amounts for bed and board, the report said.
The Netherlands has some 250 mushroom growing firms.