Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise the issue of safety on farms in light of the recent tragic accident involving the Spence family in County Down. While I acknowledge some of the circumstances in this case were unique, we cannot get away from the fact that we need to examine the issue of slurry and farm safety. I understand the difficulties that arise in regard to slurry are a consequence of the crust of the slurry being broken and the agitation process commencing. It can be highly dangerous for those in close proximity if the noxious fumes are allowed to linger and they are not diluted by a strong wind. The reliance on wind and other factors for safety is an archaic discipline and it is not particularly suited to modern farming practices. We need to examine ideas for dealing with this silent killer. It is imperative that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine be asked to summon the necessary chemical experts to report on the potential for the development of a chemical that might go some way towards breaking up the slurry and relieving the farmer and his family of having to engage in the highly dangerous agitation process or to explore the possibility of developing an alarm mechanism that would alert people in the vicinity when the slurry's fumes are at their most potent. In the circumstances, I also request that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine come to the House to debate this issue and to allow Members to contribute their thoughts and ideas.