Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 May 2021
303. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which health and safety will feature in planned future farming schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29056/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo highlight the importance of farm safety, the Government assigned my ministerial colleague, Martin Heydon, TD the specific responsibility for Farm Safety in his portfolio.
The next CAP Strategic Plan is currently under development in the Department and it is through this that new schemes will be put in place. The SWOT and Needs assessment process has been completed and Health and Safety has been identified as an area that requires further attention. I, along with Minister of State Heydon, expect to see Health and Safety feature strongly in our training programmes for farmers and advisors as well as through the various measures from on farm investments to livestock handling.
Under the current Rural Development Programme (RDP), health and safety is incorporated into the on-farm investment scheme (TAMS) with support available for a wide range of safety measures and equipment. Health and safety is also a key element of all training and knowledge transfer schemes for farmers and advisors. This year, under the transitional arrangements, I have secured funding of €1m to consider innovative solutions to Health and Safety under the locally led Innovation Partnership model (EIP’s). I intend to take the learnings from these projects and see how they can inform our policy and supports for health and safety in any future measures.
