Foreign workers are to be allowed to be in the country without social benefits for up to 102 days, as opposed to the usual 70 days, the Cabinet decided on Wednesday.

Allowing the workers to be employed in Germany for longer would help sowing and harvesting, and ensure a good supply of domestic produce, said Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner.

The reduced migration of workers would also help reduce the chance of virus infections across borders, she said.

Last year, the limit was extended to 115 days. Last year, some 270,000 people were counted as “seasonal workers” in the German agriculture industry.

The opposition Greens party said the move allowed companies to practice “social dumping” – or the exploitation of cheap labour sources from abroad.

Kloeckner insisted the measure was temporary, and an exception due to the pandemic.