Focus on farm safety needed – Conway

Fine Gael Clare Senator, Martin Conway, has today (Thursday), said that we need to highlight important issues concerning farm safety.   Speaking on the Order of Business in the Seanad, Senator Conway expressed his concern about the number of accidents on farms and asked that the Seanad Public Consultation Committee consider this as a topic for consideration.

“I am very concerned with the increase in the number of incidents on farms with 23 farm-related deaths recorded to date this year, compared with ten up to the same date last year

“It is of vital importance that all farmers put safety plans into place whether it’s livestock management, machinery, or managing slurry. Highlighting the need for increased awareness of farm safety will hopefully save some families from the trauma and heartache that comes following the loss of a loved one.

“Only last week at the National Ploughing Championships, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, launched a new service to assist bereaved farm families. As part of the service there will now be a dedicated member of staff in the Department of Agriculture focused on supporting families who have been bereaved due to farm tragedies. This is an important issue and one I believe the Seanad should be discussing.

“The Seanad Public Consultation Committee, which is an initiative of this Government, has done great work to date in engaging with the public and stakeholders on a wide variety of topics including the rights of older people and cancer prevention and will no doubt be a very valuable way to inquire into and to publicise the need for farm safety.

“I have called on the Leader of the Seanad to consider facilitating this examination of farm safety by the Seanad Public Consultation Committee in the near future with a view to hearing from all the relevant stakeholders on this very import matter.”