Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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500. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he is taking to advise farmers on the dangers of slurry gases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25234/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am very strongly committed to promoting Farm Safety in collaboration with the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), the organisation with primary responsibility for securing health and safety at work, and which is under the responsibility of my colleague, Minister Bruton. For the last three years, my Department has included a Farm Safety message with the Single Payment application packs, which were distributed each year to over 130,000 farmers. This was a joint initiative between my Department, the Health and Safety Authority and the Farm Safety Partnership Committee and led to each of those farmers receiving an individual reminder of the importance of farming safely, and the potentially fatal consequences of not doing so. In 2013 that Farm Safety message was entirely focused on safe slurry handling with the message that “ONE LUNGFUL OF SLURRY GAS CAN KILL” and also included the list of Safe Agitation Guidelines provided by my Department.

A number of other steps have been taken over recent years in collaboration with other State and industry organisations to raise awareness of the problem of farm accidents and to educate farmers and their families on the dangers associated with working in this industry.

For example, in November 2012, I launched the pilot Farm Safety Mentor Programme, which is an initiative by Irish Rural Link with the support of the HSA to enable farmers to become farm safety ambassadors in their own community. In April of this year, I launched the DVDs produced as part of the Programme, and they will now be used by the Farm Safety Mentors and others to help raise awareness of the dangers of slurry gas.

The HSA also produced an excellent DVD in recent times containing testimonials from individual farmers who provide an emotional telling of their experiences of farm accidents which led to either fatalities or serious injury. This DVD has been widely circulated and is included in all training courses undertaken by my Department.

Teagasc and the HSA distributed a leaflet entitled “Safe Slurry handling” at the ploughing championships in September 2013 which details the Safe Operating Procedures for the agitation of slurry and details the dangers of slurry gas. My Department’s specification for bovine livestock units and reinforced tanks (S.123) gives detailed advice in relation to the safe agitation of slurry, and safe design of tanks.

Since taking office, I have continuously worked to increase awareness of safety issues among farmers which I believe is the key to changing the way we all think about farm safety on Irish farms. We must be continuously aware and vigilant of all the dangers on Irish farms and pursue the goal of preventing accidents and therefore saving lives and minimising serious injuries of all types.