We must act on farming deaths - Farm accidents

THE most dangerous occupation in Ireland is not a pilot, steel worker or industrial roofer but a farmer — yet too many doing this essential job either ignore or remain blissfully unaware of the dangers.

Farming nowadays is a highly mechanised business and the typical modern farm is a factory, full of heavy machinery and chemicals with the capacity to kill or cause serious injury.

A new ESRI report on farm accidents has found that young farmers, dairy farmers and those with the largest land holdings take the highest risks when working.