€12.2m investment in Farm Safety Scheme to address doubling of farm related deaths – O’Reilly

Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan, Joe O’Reilly, has today (Wednesday), 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 today 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. Farms are places of work, but they are no ordinary work-place; farms are active early in the morning, in the middle of the night, during snow storms, when the rain is pelting down and in the height of the summer. Farms are also often homes, and as a result, children are part of the fabric of farm life. All of these things are positive aspects of farm life but in reality, they make farming one of the most hazardous professions.

“Minister Coveney today 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 on your farm 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 muct 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. I sincerely welcome the allocation of this funding and I hope that farmers use the Farm Safety Scheme as an opportunity to upgrade your farm, to make it a much safer environment to live and work, and to do so in a cost-effective way.”