IRELAND’S FARMING community needs to change its attitude to farm safety to prevent a repeat of the 10-year high death rate recorded on farms in 2010, according to Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney.
He made the comments at a national conference on health and safety in agriculture in Co Roscommon yesterday, where farmers were told they were seven times more likely to die in a workplace accident than members of the general workforce.
While a lot of work has been done by the Farm Safety Partnership, Teagasc, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, FBD, Macra na Feirme, the Health and Safety Authority and the Irish Farmers Association, the level of farm accidents remains high, said Mr Coveney.
He said the tragic reality was “6 per cent of the workforce are suffering more then 30 per cent of the tragedy in terms of fatalities and that is a figure that we cannot accept. Last year was the worst of all years over the last decade.”
In 2010, there were 26 fatal accidents on Irish farms, three of which were children. Already this year there have been nine fatal accidents on farms.
“Even though there is an awareness there, there still seems to be a reticence to actually change attitudes and habits,” the Minister said.
Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in Ireland with farm deaths accounting for more than half of all workplace fatalities in 2010.
Tractors account for the highest proportion of fatalities and accidents on farms each year. Livestock, bulls in particular, come next, followed by falls and drowning accidents. The dairy sector has consistently seen the highest number of farm fatalities out of all the farming enterprises.
Mr Coveney said: “Because we know this information on these critical safety areas, there is a clear opportunity for farmers to target their farm management and reduce these dangers and in so doing save farm lives.”
HSA chief executive Martin O’Halloran described the effect of farm deaths on families and rural communities as “devastating”.
This year the authority conducted 1,300 farm safety visits.