The initial group of overseas farmworkers who quarantined at Grantham Farmworkers Lodge have been released with no signs of illness

The initial 160 overseas workers who quarantined at Grantham are the core group to help a severe shortage of labour in the Lockyer Valley, but there are plans to bring more workers here.

More overseas workers are required to fill the shortage to pick crops in the Lockyer Valley (FILE IMAGE).

Another 160 overseas harvest workers will likely arrive in the Lockyer Valley next month to complete their 14-day coronavirus quarantine.

Despite ongoing quarantine programs at the Grantham Farmworkers Lodge waiting approval, labour hire forces are hopeful more Pacific Island workers will be approved to land in Australia.

Brad Seagrott, from FIP Group who was behind half of the workforce that recently quarantined at Grantham, said it was his “desire to bring in more people”.

He said there were “no issues” with the 160 workers who completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine at Grantham on Friday, May 21.

“It hasn’t been approved ongoing, but our plan would be to have it continuing,” he said.

The seasonal workers who quarantined at Grantham completed their quarantine on Friday (May 21), and were released onto farms and processing facilities in Queensland.

It is understood some workers stayed locally, while others gained employment elsewhere in Queensland.

The Pacific Island workers, who hit the Brisbane tarmac on May 7, all tested negative during their final coronavirus checks a department of agriculture and fisheries spokesman said.

Grantham’s Farmworkers Lodge was home to 160 workers who were flown to Australia to help desperate farmers harvest Lockyer Valley crops.

The Lockyer alone needs 1300 workers to plant and harvest this year’s winter crops.

“Under the chief health officer-approved International Quarantine plan, workers were tested twice during the quarantine period and received daily health checks,” the DAF spokesman said.

“No health issues were detected.”

Currently, there are no workers living at the lodge and backpackers are permitted to stay at the lodge while no Pacific Labour Scheme workers are quarantined there.

“In the future, more groups may be quarantined at the facility to help provide local producers with much-needed workers to harvest produce,” the DAF spokesman said.