Authorities in Lapland uncovered that a local berry company has been operating without the required legal authorisation.
According to information obtained by Yle, the company in question was established in 2009 and engages in the retail sale of fruit, berries and vegetables under a trading name.
Operating under a trading name exempts firms from the obligation to disclose financial statements, which remain private unless turnover reaches a significant threshold.
Under the new so-called Berry Act, which came into force in 2021 to better protect the rights of foreign pickers, berry and other natural product companies must each year pass a reliability assessment by the TE Office. Companies that fail to pass this assessment are not legally permitted to operate within the sector.
During an unannounced inspection of the company in question last August, it was discovered that the firm lacked the necessary reliability documentation from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The inspection was carried out by the Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland, Lapland police, and the Lapland Border Guard.
Yle has reported that the TE Office of Northern Finland granted a positive reliability assessment to 26 firms and one negative in July.
According to the findings of the Regional State Administrative Agency (Avi), the Lapland company had also failed to notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the pickers' base and did not provide employee training.
"This is the first time in the supervision of the Berry Act that a company has operated completely without the reliability assessment required by law," Niko Huru, an occupational safety and health inspector at the local Avi, told Yle.
However, the firm's operations have not been suspended, as the Regional State Administrative Agency lacks the authority to do so.
"We have the authority to compel the operator to rectify a situation that is not in compliance with the law. If the operator fails to comply with the law despite the obligation, the law prescribes sanctions, in this case, a fine," Huru noted.
If the operator still fails to apply for the necessary permits, the Regional State Administrative Agencies may submit a report on its preliminary investigation to police.
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