Irish Rural Link launch farm safety challenge

 At agricultural shows throughout the Midlands an innovative approach to tackle the farm safety challenge has seen farmers actively promoting safer farming.

Mr Vincent Nally Co-ordinator of the mentor programme with Irish Rural Link (IRL) said: “Farmers themselves know better than anyone else the day to day challenges in terms of farm safety and as part of a pilot in the midlands a group of farmers have been assisting with the promotion of safer farming practices.”

“While there was a reduction in fatalities in recent months the tragic deaths of two young people in recent days has highlighted once again the stark reality of the appalling track record in health and safety that is over hanging the sector,” he said.

Despite a lot of investment in raising awareness over the last number of years behavioural change has been extremely slow, Mr Nally continued saying that engaging farmers in this innovative bottom up approach can facilitate farmers to become catalysts with the behavioural changes that are now required to improve safety on Irish farms.