Longford Leader Farming: IFA to roll out farm safety initiative

2019 will see the rollout of IFA’s peer-to-peer farm safety learning initiative.

IFA’s Health & Safety Executive William Shortall said, “There were 15 farm fatalities in 2018, which is a stark message that we have more to do in this area. The peer-to-peer initiative is about encouraging farmers to undertake practical measures that will reduce the risk on their own farm.”

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IFA is using the branch structure within their 29 County Executives to pilot the peer-to-peer farm safety learning initiative.

IFA has visited over 60 farms. Farm visits have taken place in counties Tipperary, Clare, Wexford, Kildare and Limerick during the last three months of 2018.

The farms which have been visited are a mixture of enterprises and sizes. They include single unit operations, either male or female, and family-run farms with children and elderly parents.

In all the farms that were visited, the dwelling house was situated on the farmyard or a very short distance from the farmyard.

The following areas are focused on:

* Livestock housing and handling unit;
* Machinery;
* Farmyard; and
* Workshop

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