Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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652. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has given consideration to initiating a formal and nationwide farm safety awareness seminar in all primary schools, taking into account that a total of 17 children have died in farm-related incidents between 2014 and 2023, and accounting for the fact that 42% of all primary schools are based in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30865/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Farm safety, health and wellbeing is a priority for this Government. Through dedicated funding of €2.5 million, my Department is continuing to implement existing and new initiatives to improve farm safety, health and wellbeing.

Over the past ten years, 17 children have died on Irish farms, accounting for almost a tenth of all fatalities on farms. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable on farms as the workplace surrounds the family home.

Building on the success of programmes delivered in Irish schools in recent years, the successful initiatives will promote a lifelong culture of farm safety. They will help address children’s and young people’s safety on Irish farms by assisting primary and secondary school teachers in educating their students about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture. The farm safety awareness initiatives will be available nationwide to all primary and secondary schools. The tender also invites proposals for initiatives which will promote awareness of children’s and young person’s safety on farms at shows and events.

The successful projects will make an important contribution to increasing farm safety awareness among children and young people, encourage conversations about farm safety among all generations in farming families and contribute to changing attitudes to safety on Irish farms.

Farm safety, health and wellbeing is a priority for me and for my colleague, Minister Healy-Rae. This Government will continue to invest in supporting the safety, health and wellbeing of farmers, and everyone working and living on farms.