EU proposes sick leave and holiday support for farmers
Draft proposals would, if adopted, cover the cost of wages for replacing farmers during leave for sickness, childbearing, childcare, holidays, bereavement and training.
Sick leave and holidays for farmers could be optional for European Union member states under the next Common Agricultural Policy.
Draft proposals would, if adopted, cover the cost of wages for replacing farmers during leave for sickness, childbearing, childcare, holidays, bereavement and training.
The new intervention could introduce funding to help cover the cost of replacement labour when farmers are unable to work.
According to the European Commission, the proposals recognise the importance of farmers’ wellbeing, mental health, and achieving a better work-life balance.
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Politicians and farm leaders in Ireland have welcomed the Commission’s move.
Senator Paraic Brady (FG) told the Upper House that the narratives that surround the CAP have been a battleground for decades as different sectors tried to maximise what they got from the budget.
Yet, the fundamental human element, the quality of life of those who work the land, has constantly been ignored.
He said 87% of Irish farms rely primarily on their own family labour. Farmers do not get sick leave. They do not get time off.
When there is snow on the ground, people in other sectors can ring their workplaces and say they do not intend to go to work because the roads are slippery.
Unfortunately, farmers in similar instances must get up and milk their cows, feed cattle and look after livestock.
They do not get the same privileges as workers in other sectors. They do not get time to say they are taking a day off, even when bereavement hits, he said.
Senator Brady welcomed the CAP proposals to support farmers so that they can take five days off with their spouse, travel down the country and spend time away from the farm.
House Leader Senator Garret Ahearn (FG) said Senator Brady gave a good account of the family aspect of farming, the impact it has and the role of the family in the work.
“That is what happens at home with us as well,” he said, explaining that the farm work must be done and everything else must be put aside.
Senator Ahearn said Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon will be very influential regarding the quality of life for farmers in the CAP reform during Ireland’s EU presidency.
IFA deputy president Alice Doyle told Katie Hannon on RTÉ’s Drivetime programme that farming has a lot of benefits.
But one of the drawbacks is that it is a 7-day week and a 265-day year of work with little time taken off from what is an insular profession.
She said the pressure farmers are under constantly comes up in the health checks the IFA conduct with Department of Agriculture support.
Dairy farmers never got away from more than a few hours at a time because cows must be milked. But there are also issues relating to sick and maternity leave.
The Commission plans would also provide funding to establish and expand farm relief services, as well as to pay the wages of temporary replacement workers, she said.
Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association president Denis Drennan also welcomed the proposals as a recognition by the European Commission of the unique reality of farming.
People in other sectors who wake up feeling unwell can ring in sick. But a farmer in a similar situation must get up and milk cows regardless of how they feel.
He said he expects the National Farm Relief Service to play a key role if the proposals are approved by having trained staff ready to take over when somebody is unable to carry out their normal duties on the farm.
