Farm Safety event taking place in Milford next Wednesday

A FARM safety event is to be held on Tommy Doyle’s farm at Quinns Agristore Milford, Kilkenny Road, County Carlow (M9 exit 6 R93AF84), next Wednesday evening (22 July) at 8pm.

In attendance at the event will be Deputy President of the IFA and Carlow native Alice Doyle, as well as representatives from Embrace Farm, Teagasc and Carlow Fire Service, who will give demonstrations on farm safety, while refreshments will also be available throughout the evening.

With the busy harvest season well underway, Carlow IFA Chairman, Michael Purcell, hopes the event will remind those working in agriculture about the dangers that working with machinery and livestock can pose.

“Familiarity breeds contempt. Repetition of daily tasks can cause farmers to rush, and that in turn can unfortunately lead to accidents,” Mr Purcell said.

Farming accounted for almost 40% of all workplace fatalities in Ireland last year, with 25 of the 63 fatal incidents occurring on farms.

Vehicle-related incidents continue to be the leading cause of work-related fatalities in the agricultural sector, and farmers and contractors are being urged to plan work carefully and take steps to protect themselves and others.