Safety on the farm - Death toll is soaring

DREADFUL weather and collapsing farm-gate prices are conspiring to make farming ever more difficult and dangerous. Last year 21 people were killed on Irish farms; there were 2,800 injuries.

These figures represent almost 40% of workplace fatalities, although just a little over 6% of our workforce are employed in the sector. They have more or less doubled in just one year.

The poor weather brings its own pressures and falling prices mean that many farmers cannot employ badly needed help forcing them to take inappropriate risks. Despite all of this, farmers should observe recognised safety procedures as the risks are just too great, a fact confirmed by last year’s spiralling death toll.