Health and Safety Authority launches farm safety plan

The Health and Safety Authority has launched a four-year plan aimed at reducing the level of farm-related deaths by 50%.

The authority said 200 people, including 43 children, have died in farm accidents in the last 10 years.

Chairman Frank Cunneen said: "The difficulty is that many farmers do not regard the everyday routine tasks of running a farm as dangerous . . . It's more a cultural change that's necessary."