Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

People might be surprised to hear other countries have just as bad a record as we have. Ireland is not in the bottom tier of the European Union in terms of accidents on farms. Some countries, particularly Scandinavian countries, have been very successful in dealing with the issue. If one compares the rate of accidents on construction sites per capita - the numbers are down because there are fewer people working on construction sites - one finds the ratio has decreased. We have made a significant impact in other areas from a workplace safety point of view. However little or no impact has been made on agriculture. We are better than a lot of other countries in the European Union but are still not good enough. Farmers and farming organisations need and are trying to take a lead on the injuries and mutilations that take place because of accidents on farms.

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