Cut to farm safety funding a 'deeply disappointing step backwards'
Independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has criticised a €700,000 cut in current funding for farm safety in 2027.
He said this is a "deeply disappointing step backwards" for farm families and rural communities.
In a parliamentary reply to Deputy Healy-Rae, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon confirmed a current funding allocation of €2.3 million for 2027.
This is down from the record €3 million secured for 2026, a reduction of more than 23%.
'Wrong message'
Deputy Healy-Rae said: "When I took over as Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, I inherited a budget of €2.5 million.
"With the help of Minister Heydon, we secured a record €3 million for 2026 because I believed strongly that this area needed greater investment and attention.
"To now see current funding cut by €700,000, bringing it below even the level I inherited, is extremely disappointing.
"It sends entirely the wrong message to our farm families and communities."
Deputy Healy-Rae said farm safety is of "paramount importance".
"We are talking about protecting people’s lives, preventing life-changing injuries and making sure that somebody who goes out to work in the morning comes home safely to their family," he said.
Minister Heydon has also outlined €500,000 in capital funding for farm safety projects, to be provided from within existing capital allocations.
He stated that the combined funding was in line with expenditure for 2026.
Deputy Healy-Rae continued: "I acknowledge the €500,000 being made available for capital projects, and investment in safer equipment and facilities is welcome.
"But it does not change the fact that current funding is being reduced from €3 million to €2.3 million.
“The minister’s comparison is with expenditure in 2026. My concern is the reduction in the current budget allocation and what that means for the work that can be supported next year."
Sustained support needed
Deputy Healy-Rae said that capital investment and ongoing safety work both matter.
"We need sustained support for education, awareness, training and the health and wellbeing of farmers, alongside investment in safer farms," he continued.
“Behind every serious farm accident is a family whose life can be changed forever.
"This is an area where we should be building on progress and strengthening support."
He has called on the government to reverse the reduction.
“I am asking the government to restore the €700,000 in current funding and protect the progress we made," he said.
"If farm safety is a priority, that must be reflected in the funding provided for it."
