Mr. John Dolan:

Senator Mullen referred to what can be done. To put it in perspective at farm level, my father milked 15 cows and he and my mother worked together. The farm was a different place then. My son and I intend to milk 200 cows with probably another half labour unit. That involves pressure due to the timescale. That is not just the case with me; it is the same for everyone across the industry. The committee will not come up with a solution to it but reference has been made to the income squeeze that is evident. Much of the problem centres on that. The point was made in the previous session that the impetus towards cheap food has cost lives. If one is to remember one line from today's meeting, it is that cheap food has cost lives.

I was at the opening of an extension to the PPD pharmaceutical factory in Athlone recently. We walked down an aisle covered in safety glass and we could look at people working in laboratories all along the wall. We were all handed safety glasses prior to our walk around. There was as much chance of winning the lotto as of something going into my eye as I walked along the aisle. When we came out, a man with me said that I would go home to my farm to milk my cows that evening and he asked whether I would even think of putting on safety glasses. I said if anyone saw me wearing them they would laugh at me. That is the attitude. I am aware of the issues that exist.

There are two things we can do in terms of education. There should be a farm safety module in agricultural science for the leaving certificate. Every child who does agricultural science for the leaving certificate is usually from a rural area. The IFA in Offaly brought rural schools into county libraries and gave them a talk on farm safety. It is probably an initiative that could be extended to local authorities that would involve county veterinary officers working with rural schools. There is an opportunity in that regard.