merrion street

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee, TD today launched the Agri Aware 2013 Farm Safety Calendar at the Family Farm in Dublin Zoo.

Speaking at the launch, Minister McEntee said: “It is a fact that there are more fatal accidents and instances of serious injury in agriculture and on farms than all other industries combined”. He went on to highlight the unique nature of farming compared to all other occupations. He said the fact that the whole family lives on the farm means that everyone is involved to some extent in the farming enterprise.

The Minister praised the work of Agri Aware and the support given by FBD Insurance, the IFA and ESB Networks to set up this initiative. A primary school painting competition was run during the year with the winning images being selected for the calendar. The images had to contain a farm safety theme and the calendar will now be distributed to all Primary schools. He also thanked Dublin Zoo for all their assistance with this project.

The Minister closed by saying “We must all keep working together to drive the safety message home. Constant vigilance and most importantly safe procedures, safe work practices and a general awareness of the dangers must be fostered at all times”.

Note for editors

Health and Safety Authority

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the national body in Ireland with responsibility for securing health and safety at work. It is a state sponsored body established under the Safety Health &Welfare at Work Act 1989 and it reports to the Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton, TD.

Fatalities in the agriculture sector over recent years:

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: Agriculture 20 10 22 22 19

Forestry 1 1 3 0 0

Fishing 1 2 4 5 7

TOTAL Agriculture sector 22 13 29 27 26

TOTAL Workplace 57 43 48 54 44