Brendan Griffin
Question:10. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to further promote farm safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38474/21]
View answerThursday, 15 July 2021
Questions (10)
Oral answers (6 contributions)
The question relates to farm safety. It is a very important issue. I know it is an area the Minister and the Minister of State have prioritised so far during their Ministries. Will they update the Dáil not only on initiatives to date but also on initiatives that are planned in respect of this very important area?
I thank Deputy Griffin for raising what is a crucially important issue for us and a very timely one in light of the fact that next week is Farm Safety Week, when we bring an additional focus to the need for farm safety and for a change in the culture across how we operate on our farms and the unacceptably high level of farm fatalities on Irish farms.
To highlight the importance of farm safety, the Government, as part of my ministerial portfolio, assigned me specific responsibility for farm safety, and I am very proud to be the first Minister of State with such a responsibility. It is a key indication of the Government's determination that in our programme for Government we put a renewed focus on this area. As Deputy Griffin will be aware, over the past decade, 21 people on average have lost their lives on Irish farms every year. Recently, I attended the Embrace Farm service, and when you hear the individual stories and see the pictures of those who have lost their lives, from very young children all the way through the generations of farmers, it is absolutely heartbreaking and completely unacceptable. When you remember that 50% of workplace fatalities are attributed to agriculture, which makes up only 6% of the entire workforce, it is clear we are a complete outlier and that a change of culture is badly needed.
That is why my Department has a range of measures both in place and being put in place by me to incentivise and promote farm safety. First, there is the ongoing TAMS II scheme. Under the suite of seven TAMS measures, there is a wide range of farm safety-related investments available to be grant-aided. As part of the TAMS II schemes, health and safety guidelines are included in building specifications drawn up by the Department for the construction of agricultural buildings and structures. Additionally, it is a requirement for all applicants under the TAMS II schemes to complete a half day of farm safety training. We get really good feedback on that. Farmers may not be too enthusiastic going to the training but find great benefit in it afterwards. In my follow-up reply I will outline further some of the new measures we are bringing into place. This is about taking every opportunity, engaging with farmers, to continue to raise this really important issue.
An approach that sees every death on Irish farms as one death too many is very important. The Minister of State rightly pointed out the disproportionate number of workplace fatalities that take place on farms versus the wider workplace. I commend him on how enthusiastic he has been and the approach he has taken to date to this matter. We can look at statistics over a long period but, thankfully, this year has seen a reduction in the number of deaths. However, that is no consolation whatsoever to the families who are bereaved.
Has the Minister of State considered being more proactive in how we move forward on this such as by linking farm safety promotion to CAP? Is that something he would consider in the future?
Absolutely. My general approach is to make sure that in everything we do, we do not talk about farm safety as a separate issue. Every engagement my Department has with farmers is an opportunity to drive home the message of farm safety and to support the work of the HSA and others. I have seen from the start the opportunity CAP provides for us to incorporate farm safety across all measures in CAP to make sure it is central to what we do. I acknowledge the support of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, in achieving the ambition that this CAP will be the most focused on farm safety, that we will take that opportunity in every engagement, including with livestock handling, which is a high-risk area, and that the new livestock schemes will have safety training elements to them such that in every involvement farmers have with CAP, farm safety will be central.
I am really conscious of the fine weather coming this weekend and that farmers in Kerry, in Deputy Griffin's constituency, will be making hay, kids will be off school, and all the risks will be there. We need every farmer to identify the risks on their farm, mitigate them and take steps to make sure we do not have further instances over the summer and into the year ahead.
As someone who grew up surrounded by farms, I believe a focus on the wider community is important as well in order to emphasise to people that proximity to farms is a danger, particularly for small children. In those terrible conversations we have when we meet the bereaved and people who were lucky to survive farm accidents, the word "complacency" very often comes up in conversation. That seems to be one of the real dangers, that when you do something day in and day out all your life you sometimes drop your guard. A lot of the focus has to remain on that area.
I would welcome a comprehensive, all-encompassing approach to farm safety. In everything the Department does in regard to agriculture, it should be central to all messaging. That constant reminder would help address that complacency.
The CAP is a fantastic opportunity for us to do that, but there other measures I have introduced over the past year. My Department and I launched a call under the locally led innovation partnership model, specifically related to farm safety and a first for farm safety, at the end of 2020. It will see the provision of at least €1 million in funding support for farm safety initiatives. Initial project proposals were submitted in January and we were delighted to be overwhelmed with a large number of good-quality applications. Those projects that successfully progressed to stage 2 have submitted additional details and these are being assessed with a view to rolling out the final successful projects as soon as possible.
In addition, the Department and I, in conjunction with the Department of Finance, are finalising the accelerated capital allowance scheme for farm safety and disabilities adaptation equipment. When the scheme is up and running, relief will be available for eligible expenditure incurred since 1 January 2021. The scheme will provide for accelerated capital allowance at 50% per annum over two years for eligible specified farm safety and adaptive equipment. The Department and I will continue to work closely with our colleague the Minister of State, Deputy English, and the HSA on that important issue. There is also the initiative On Feirm Ground, regarding farmers' health and well-being, because the two issues are inextricably linked. I guarantee the Deputy that my determination and that of the Minister and the Minister of State at the Department, Senator Hackett, is to drive on with changing the culture regarding farm safety.
Question No. 11 replied to with Written Answers.