Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 50: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the promotional activities his Department has taken to counter the number of farm deaths in view of the fact that the number of deaths this year has reached 23, the highest number in ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40639/10]

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 67: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the stage at which the implementation process of the new Farm Safety Action Plan 2009 – 2012 stands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40640/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 50 and 67 together.

Firstly I would like to express my deepest concern and sadness at the number of fatalities on Irish farms this year. The tragic deaths of 23 people through farming activities is of grave concern to us all. Needless to say I strongly support the Health and Safety Authority, which is the national body in Ireland with responsibility for securing health and safety at work, in their endeavours to promote farm health and safety.

During 2008 a Farm Safety Action Plan for the period 2009-2012 was developed by the Health and Safety Authority and the Farm Safety Advisory Committee, which was launched by my colleague Minister Kelleher, the then Minister for Labour Affairs, in December 2008. This Action Plan sets out ambitious goals and actions to raise national awareness of occupational health and safety in agriculture and to reduce fatalities and accidents on Irish farms. The seven goals of the Action Plan are:

To raise national awareness of occupational safety and health in agriculture

To increase the uptake of training on farm safety and occupational health.

To achieve a reduction in the incidence of fatal accidents to elderly farmers.

To achieve a reduction in the incidence of fatal accidents to children.

To achieve a reduction in the incidence of accidents involving livestock

To achieve a reduction in the incidence of accidents involving tractors and machinery.

To achieve improvements in the level of occupational ill health among farmers.

My Department has given specific commitments to support this plan and when called upon earlier this year, by my colleague Minister Calleary, my Department gave further commitments to raising the awareness of health and safety in agriculture by including a farm health and safety element in all new programmes. To-date in 2010 my Department has:

Included such an element in the new Dairy Efficiency Programme. This will enable farmers to address key farm health and safety issues with their advisor during Discussion Group meetings. Updated its farm health and safety section of the website. Farm health and safety is now highlighted in the 'Most Popular' section of the website to make it easier for our customers to access the information.

Continued to prioritise appropriate health and safety aspects in farm building specifications when they are being drafted or revised. In August 2010 my Department published a revised specification for loose dry sow units and a new specification for laying hen houses – both of these specifications contain safety related issues on the first two pages.

Maintained the requirement for farmers participating in training courses for the third and fourth Rural Environment Protection Scheme to be advised on farm health and safety matters.

In addition to my Department's farm health and safety promotional activities, Teagasc is actively promoting farm health and safety in all its training programmes, providing courses on the farm safety Code of Practice. They also include health and safety messages in their publications for farmers and their advisors are briefed in the farm safety Code of Practice.