Farming: A hazardous industry

THE appalling toll of fatalities on Irish farms is a damning comment on the mind-set of an industry that makes hundreds of millions but where people die because a blind eye is turned to safety.

Over the past decade, farm deaths have exceeded 200. Yet the bulk of farmers continue to ignore regulations that could save lives.

In this context, for instance, the attitude of parents who allow their children drive massive tractors must be questioned.