Farm safety needs to be top priority for year ahead

The statistics released last week by the Health and Safety Authority on industry fatalities in Ireland in 2014 made for disturbing reading, particularly for those in the farming community.

All involved in farming have a role to play in farm safety, starting with farmers. With farming intensifying, we have to take greater care in what we do.

In a year in which there were 55 fatal workplace accidents, up 17% on 2013, over 55% of these were from one sector alone: agriculture.