Farmers warned to stay safe during festive season

FARMERS were yesterday warned to be extra careful over Christmas with 16% of all deaths occurring during the festive season.

Teagasc called for greater vigilance in the agriculture sector during December and January to ensure all farmers and their families have a safe Christmas.

Seventeen lives have been lost on Irish farms this year.

A national survey by Teagasc Rural Economy Research Centre found 16% of fatal farm accidents over the last 10 years have taken place in December and January.

The survey, which included 95,000 farms, found a high rate of injury causing accidents on farms, with over 1,700 occurring in 2005. This figure has fallen 30% compared to a similar Teagasc survey in 2001.

Teagasc health and safety officer John McNamara said: “The survey findings indicate that some progress has taken place on reducing injury causing accidents in farming, particularly with tractor and machinery operation.”

He said the survey found livestock-related incidents now account for 65% of all farm accidents.

Some 3,000 injuries occur on farms each year.

The Teagasc survey found 51% of accidents causing injury occurred on farms less than 20 hectares in size. About 48% of all accidents involved people aged 51 to 64, with 38% involving those aged 31 to 50.