Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin Browne for his contribution. I am a suckler farmer based in south Kildare, with a mixed enterprise involving tillage, and I am acutely aware of what the Deputy has outlined. On hoping that the €2 million will be enough, to be honest this is not all about money. Much of what is involved is a change of culture and ensuring that all of us in the farming set-up, including farmers' partners, their parents and their children, are aware of the roles we have to play in identifying hazards and unsafe practices. That is an important aspect.

Turning to whether low income on farms is a factor in this regard, there are many contributing elements in this area. When I look at what is being done in respect of sustainability and to incorporate farmers in that endeavour through Food Vision 2030, the health and well-being of farmers is a central part of that process. In addition, the food systems approach we are taking in Food Vision 2030 makes the sustainability of farmers' income as important as the sustainability of the environment and the rural communities in which they live. That is the trick, and the key aspect here. The crucial element of new market development is to ensure that we increase the value that farmers get for their products.

Farmers are sometimes perhaps taking on jobs that should be done by two people and doing them on their own. That is a challenge for us, especially when we look at the statistics regarding the age profile of the farmers in this area. None of these points are excuses, though. Where factors contribute to farm accidents and fatalities, we must try to identify and mitigate them. However, we also need farmers to recognise where there are potential hazards in the activities they are undertaking. I refer in particular to the need to recognise that if a job requires two people that it is then necessary to wait until another person is available to help, instead of farmers perhaps opting to take on such a task alone and thereby taking a real risk.