Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all echo Senator Gerard P. Craughwell’s sentiments and every Member is working hard to ensure the Minister will take the issue on board and address some of the Senator's points.

I join in the condemnation of the appalling act of terrorism that took place yesterday on the Turkish-Syrian border. The young people killed were doing nothing more than working for their community in trying to rebuild the city of Kobani. It was a real community effort. It is beyond time the international community and world leaders addressed the ongoing threat posed by ISIS. The appalling situation in Syria, the unfortunate people of which are being barrel-bombed on a daily basis and starved into submission by the Assad regime, must be addressed as a matter of urgency. I am pleased that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, announced yesterday that Ireland would take in 600 migrants as part of the European Union's response to the Mediterranean migration crisis.

I commend the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, for designating today, 21 July, as National Farm Safety Awareness Day. It is a call to action to farm families to take time out to review their farm safety measures and undertake a farm safety risk assessment. I call on every farmer and farm family to review the risks on their farms and put in place control measures to deal with them. The IFA has published a very fine farm safety risk assessment planner which every family should examine, given that far too many families have been bereaved in recent years as a result of farm accidents of various type. Let this be the day farm families take the issue of farm safety seriously. It follows on from the excellent work done in the Seanad to highlight it. I hope we can continue to keep it on the agenda in order that no more lives will be lost as a result of carelessness on farms.