€12.2m Farm Safety Scheme to address fatalities in Clare – Conway

Fine Gael Senator for Clare, Martin Conway, has encouraged all farmers to apply for a Farm Safety Scheme grant and to use the funds to address the very important issue of farm safety. The new Farm Safety Scheme announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD will allocate €12.1 million to upgrading safety features on Irish farms.

“Farm deaths have more than doubled this year compared to the same period last year, with 22 people having lost their lives so far in 2014. In Clare we lost two people to farm related accidents in only two weeks between the end of August and early September. Farms are places of work, but they are also homes, and they are workplaces that are active at all hours of the day and night. As a result, dangers present themselves to people who work on farms that would not present other workplaces. Farm Safety is an extremely important issue that must be tackled and I am pleased to see that the Minister has taken action.

“Minister Coveney announced the introduction of a new Farm Safety Scheme which will make €12.2 million available to farmers. Grants of up to €8,000 will be awarded on a spend of €20,000 towards making farms safer.

“Safety features for slurry tanks, rewiring of buildings, installation of calving gates, new aeration systems, installation of mobile sheep weighing facilities or mobile sheep rollover crates are just some of the measures that will qualify for funding.

“I would encourage all farmers to consider investing in farm safety now, while this funding is available. As the Scheme is being introduced under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme, very tight timelines are in place to access these grants. Applications must be made by Friday 9^th January and all work must be completed by Monday 31^st August 2015.

“I very much welcome the introduction of this Scheme as it is something I have been highlighting for some time. Our record for farm safety this year is not good. One life lost is a tragedy, but 22 is simply devastating and when people so close to home are losing their lives it makes this issue particularly relevant to the people of Clare. I sincerely welcome the allocation of this funding and I hope that farmers use the Farm Safety Scheme as an opportunity to upgrade farms, to make them a much safer environment to live and work, and to do so in a cost-effective way.”