Safety first on the farm

This week is the fourth annual Farm Safety Week, an initiative aimed at reducing the number of farm accidents. At the moment, the agriculture industry has the poorest safety record of any occupation in Ireland and the UK.

During Farm Safety Week (4-8 July) there will be five days of themed practical farm safety advice and guidance asking farmers to consider ‘Who would fill your boots?’ if an accident occurred on the farm.

Macra na Feirme continues to show leadership in our work to promote farm safety. We work with all stakeholders on the Farm Safety Partnership to promote the safety message.

Macra na Feirme have partnered with the Farm Contractors of Ireland to roll out a safe tractor driving course through the Young Farmer Skillnet Training Programme. The training programme is compiling a practical farm safety skills course which will be launched shortly and deliver practical safety training to young farmers.

Macra na Feirme partners with IFAC Accountants for the roll out of our Young Farmer Development Groups programmes and activities and all our events have a farm safety focus built into them.

National Macra president Sean Finan said,”I encourage every farmer to always take personal responsibility for their own safety. As this is farm safety week I call on all farmers to make a special effort to look around their own yard and identify any risks or hazards which exist and which could potential put their own lives or the lives of other family members in danger. Some of the risks and hazards identified might take time to address but short term measures should be taken to minimise the risk before remedial work is completed.

The current pressure on farm incomes and certain commodities is resulting in young farmers reducing their spend on regular maintenance and upgrade of facilities and machinery. The direct consequence of this is an increase in the risk of accident or injury to the farmer”.