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Tag Archives: farm

HSA investigate death on East Clare Farm

The health and safety authority is investigating the death of a man in his early 70s at a farm in Feakle. It is understood the man was found at a work yard on the farm by a relative in the early hours of this morning, Tuesday. Gardaí scenes of crime attended the scene and currently the HSA is carrying out an investigation into the death. A garda PSV inspector is due to carry out an inspection of a tractor which was at the scene.  

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Farms not playgrounds

As this week marks the fifth Farm Safety Week, Minister Ciaran Cannon has asked people to remember that farms are workplaces and not playgrounds. Last year, 21 people lost their lives in farm-related accidents which was an increase of 3 fatalities on 2015. Minister Cannon said, “Farm Safety Week is a valuable opportunity for farmers to review the safety of their daily farming practices. Sadly, farming has one of the lowest safety records of any occupation in the country. This week is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of hidden dangers in the farming environment and assess potential risks as any farm accident can lead to a fatality or life-altering injuries. I would encourage farmers to participate in the many farm safety events being held this week and to consider availing themselves of the discounts being offered on safety equipment from retailers across the country.”

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HSA campaign on farm safety

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will begin a month long intensive farm inspection campaign on Tuesday next. Approximately 500 inspections are planned with the focus on tractor and machinery safety. Each year, nearly half of all farm deaths, and many more serious accidents, are linked to tractors and machinery.  To date in 2017 there have been six farm fatalities with four involving tractors or machinery. In an effort to reduce these accidents inspectors will be encouraging farmers to plan work and have systems in place that minimise risk particularly during silage harvesting. Pat Griffin, senior inspector with the HSA said that many serious and fatal accidents on farms occur when someone is crushed or struck by machinery. “The movement of machinery, whether in the yard or in a field, can be hazardous and farmers need to be aware of the risks, particularly if there are young children living on or visiting the farm. Incidents of crushing someone against a …

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Four surprises on Lahinch farm

Well-known North Clare farmer, Tom Clair, certainly had his hands full after checking to see his cow calving on his farm at Maghrea, Lahinch this week. “I checked her at 1.30am on Sunday and nothing was happening but when I returned at lunch-time on Sunday, I could not believe my eyes. She had two calves standing in front of her, there was one behind and, to my amazement, a fourth had made its way out of the building.” The mother is a Hereford cross and the four healthy charolais heifer calves are identical in weight and colour and are by a pure-bred Devon Cottage charolais bull. Tom has named them Rosie, Fluffy, Mia and Jennie. “I will keep them on the farm until they die,” he said. It is believed that the odds of a cow having quadruplets with all calves born alive are 11.2 million to one.

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Record price for Quin farm

THERE was something of a bidding war when a 70-acre farm at Keevagh, Quin was recently put under the hammer by auctioneers and valuers, MV O’Halloran and Sons. The public auction generated great interest and following 100 bids the property, located a short distance from Quin village on the Ennis Road, was eventually knocked down to an Ennis-based estate agency, who purchased the property in trust for a client for €916,000, which equated to just over €13,000 per acre. The farm came to the market with a farmhouse in need of modernisation, a range of out-offices and 70 acres of agricultural land of “exceptional quality”. According to auctioneer James O’Halloran, it was “one of the finest farms of land that I have ever offered for sale”. Mr O’Halloran said 40 of the 70 acres were of the best land in the county, while the remaining acreage required attention. The farm also had dual road frontage of some 640m. The opening …

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€1.4m payments for Clare farmers

Farmers in County Clare are to get €1,402,129 in final instalments of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments. The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, has confirmed that, following the recent definitive allocation of entitlements by his department, the final instalment of payments under the 2015 BPS and Greening for farmers in Clare begin this week. Commenting on this, Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen, said, “The rollout brings the total amount paid under the Basic Payment Scheme to €1.2 billion and over 126,000 farmers across Ireland have received payment to date. “Taken together with payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, this represents a total of over €1.4 billion in direct payments to farmers since last September. “This is a very significant financial boost for farmers in Clare. It’s also very good news for the rural economy in Clare and will have a knock-on effect on many local businesses.” Minister Breen said investing in our rural economies and …

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IFA warning over quad thefts

THERE has been an increase in quad bike thefts in the last few days, in particular in the greater Limerick area, IFA Rural Crime Prevention executive, Colin Connolly has revealed. He is urging farmers to be on alert and to ensure they take steps to secure their quads, lawnmowers and other valuables. Mr Connolly offered the following advice to keep quads secure: Park the quad out of sight, in an area that is not easily accessible. Where possible secure the quad inside a shed. A good idea is to chain the quad to a floor anchor inside the shed. A floor anchor can be installed very easily in any shed or yard. Make sure this shed is locked when not in use and alarm it, if possible. If the quad is outside, think about where you park it. Park it behind larger more difficult to move items, think bigger blocking method or consider a floor or ground anchor. Anything that …

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Embracing support after farm tragedy

Diane Banville should be celebrating her third wedding anniversary on Tuesday with her husband, Kevin. But just 11 months after their big day, Kevin was killed in a farm accident. Formerly Kelly, Diane lives with her two young sons in Wexford but is well known in her home county, having played football for Miltown Malbay and Clare. Diane met Kevin Banville in a pub in Wexford on the May Bank Holiday weekend in 2007 when she was visiting a friend who lived there. By October, she had foregone the offer of a job in Barbados and moved to the sunny south-east. On April 19, 2013 she married the love of her life. St Patrick’s Day of 2014 started off like any other and the pair and their two young sons, two-year-old Ryan and five-week-old Cillian, were going to go to the local parade. “I remember walking up the lane about a week or two beforehand and just going, ‘I really …

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