Call for action over farm deaths

The high rate of accidents and deaths on farms must be addressed, Labour’s agriculture spokesperson Mary Upton said yesterday.

She said the 14 deaths in farming last year were four times the fatality rate in all Irish industrial sectors put together. There were over 3,000 accidents on farms in 2002.

It is just over a year since the Farm Safety Plan, designed to improve safety in agricultural work, was published. Dr Upton said it needs resources and publicity.