Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 6: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the initiatives he has undertaken to improve farm safety awareness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38955/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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At this point in 2011 there have been 25 fatalities recorded in the agriculture sector. This figure constitutes half of all workplace fatalities, 52, for 2010 which unfortunately follows the trend seen in 2010, when 26 people lost their lives in agriculture as a result of a farming accident. Therefore, 6% to 7% of the working population had to deal with the tragedy of half of all workplace fatalities. That is the situation in agriculture at present. It is shocking, and we all have a responsibility to do something about it.

In June, I provided the opening address at the National Farm Safety Conference, the theme of which was livestock safety – one of the main causes of farm fatalities in Ireland after tractors and machinery related incidents. In July, I launched the "Family Farm and Countryside Safety Week" at Dublin Zoo at the request of Agri Aware. In August, I gave the opening address at the annual international meeting on agricultural occupational health and safety, held in Dublin, which was a really good conference. In September, I contributed a short journalistic piece to the farm health and safety supplement in the Irish Farmers Journal. The purpose of that article was to promote an increased awareness of farm safety and to focus, in particular, on the need to change farming attitudes, which I believe is a key issue in farm safety.

In September also, I attended the National Ploughing Championships in Athy where I visited and gave my support to the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, stand. Ultimately, this is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Authority but from an agricultural point of view there is also a broad farm safety partnership advisory committee, involving a series of farm groups and stakeholders, which puts a huge amount of work into this. In October, my Department, represented by Dr. Dave Beehan, chief inspector, along with other stakeholders, met with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton, at this Department to discuss farm safety and explore ways in which we can all play our part in improving farm safety. The Minister has indicated a follow-up meeting for early 2012.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

I firmly believe that the key to reducing fatalities and accidents on Irish farms lies in bringing about a change in the way we think about safety on Irish farms. The key to bringing about that cultural change lies in increasing the awareness of safety issues among farmers. I have taken every opportunity afforded me to promote farm safety awareness and will continue to do so. My Department is strongly committed to assisting the HSA in promoting farm safety initiatives. It is represented on the farm safety partnership advisory committee, FSPAC, which reports regularly to the board of the HSA.

Farm safety concerns are an integral part of all farm buildings specifications drawn up by my Department and farm safety has comprised part of the training for many schemes, including the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, and the dairy efficiency programme. There is a dedicated farm safety area on my Department's website home page. Teagasc has been very active in providing farm safety training to farmers and farm advisers nationwide. My Department and I will continue to work closely with the HSA, the FSPAC, Teagasc and others towards achieving a reduction in fatalities and accidents on Irish farms.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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This is a very important issue and I commend the Minister on his work and for taking a proactive stance to ensure that awareness of farm safety is raised. I also compliment the Health and Safety Authority which is rolling out its new safety campaign in an effort to reduce the high number of farm deaths in Ireland. Its press release is very effective in that it shows a farmer who has lost his arm as a result of an accident. The sad thing about many of these accidents is that they are easily avoidable. In many cases, people have been farming for a lifetime and there is almost a sense of complacency in how they approach handling livestock. It is important to stress that the temperament of animals can often change suddenly and without warning, and this can result in tragedy. Will the Minister share his views on what he believes is the best way to get the message across to a generation of older farmers? Everybody knows it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The key issue here is to get people to change their attitude. Farm safety is not like workplace safety in a factory or an office. A farm is a person's land and their home. Farmers often farm alone; 14 and 15 year olds often drive huge machinery around farmyards and across fields. They might have to hitch up trailers containing 25 to 30 tonnes of grain. Farms are family operations and we must change the attitudes in farm families towards farm safety.

When I spoke at the Women and Agriculture Conference I challenged the women. Women, mothers and wives, in particular, need to challenge the rest of their families on safety issues because often, and this is a gross generalisation, male farmers are too casual about this issue. They need to be challenged within the family and that is the most effective way to do it. We need promotional campaigns around that. The number of safety inspections on farms by the HSA this year has increased but this problem will not be resolved with a stick and inspections. It will only be solved with an attitudinal change.

Today, the Health and Safety Authority has launched a new advertising campaign which is quite dramatic in terms of reminding people about the dangers of farm machinery and livestock in particular. I commend the authority on that and I will do anything I can within the Department to add to it.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Has the Minister looked at how other countries have addressed this? As somebody who lives on a farm, I am fully aware that the farm work continues throughout the festive season. Unlike the rest of us farmers do not get a day off. They are often rushing and may take shortcuts to finish their work early to join the festivities with their families. I would like to impress upon them the need to be vigilant and aware of the very real and daily dangers in their workplaces.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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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.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge the efforts and buy-in of farming organisations. The previous Minister, Brendan Smith, and Deputy Calleary led on this issue in 2010. The Minister has taken a proactive stance in his statements. How closely are the Department and the HSA working together? The HSA has a programme.

This summer two neighbours of mine lost their lives in farm accidents which was a tragedy. It is very important that there is a clear signal from everybody involved in agriculture, from farming organisations to the Department, the HSA and anybody that can further the cause. Departments often work on an individual basis. We need to make sure the Department and the HSA are working very closely together.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy knows the HSA is under the remit of the Department of the Minister, Deputy Bruton. We have linked in with it in a very serious way. It is also part of the farm partnership response to safety and is working with farm organisations and a series of other stakeholders. The impression I got from the various conferences it held this year and the supportive advertising campaign it is starting is that the HSA is very serious about farm safety because of the extraordinary dominance of the agricultural sector in terms of the current levels of tragedy.

If one puts the rest of my Department's responsibility into the figures from the point of view of fishing and forestry, they are even worse. Farming, fishing and forestry are dangerous livelihoods and we do not have sufficient understanding within those industries of the response needed to make a significant impact on these figures. Everyone is now working towards that, including the HSA and farm organisations.