Farm safety checks fall by a third

The number of health and safety inspections on farms has fallen by more than a third in just two years despite a worrying rise in farm deaths.

Figures from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) show 1,949 visits were conducted by inspectors last year, of which the vast majority were on farms. About 100 visits to fishing and forestry sites were conducted.

That compares to 2,308 farm visits in 2016 and 3,056 in 2015.