Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, told the Dáil today (Wednesday, April 24) that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has deferred its farm inspection campaign focusing on farm vehicles and machinery until Tuesday, May 7.
Minister Heydon and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, both delivered statements to the Dáil today on the work that “Government is doing to try to support the sector and farm families” through the recent period of wet weather.
Minister McConalogue said the Government was “very aware of the acute challenges experienced by farmers right across the country due to the prolonged and exceptional wet weather conditions”.
He also detailed the various “actions” he had taken in response to this.
The minister added: “Thankfully the weather has improved over the past week which is alleviating some of the difficulties being experienced by farmers.
“We hope that will continue. Certainly the indications in terms of the meteorology is that it will continue to provide that window.”
Both he and Minister Heydon today urged farmers to “mind themselves” as farmers across the country strive to make up for lost time.
Minister Heydon
Minister Heydon said: “As a Minister of State with a responsibility for farm safety, I know the impact that stress and workload pressure can have on a farm.
“A distracted and busy mind is rarely focused on the task at hand. That is when things can go wrong.”
He said the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had temporarily paused inspections (until April 22) in light of the “additional burden and stress on farmers” as had the HSA.
He also detailed that farmers could contact Bord Bia to defer farm audits “if the circumstances they face so demand”.
Minister Heydon said in the meantime, an awareness campaign was continuing to highlight “safety issues around farm vehicles and machinery that cannot be overlooked”.
Both Minister McConalogue and Minister Heydon also urged farmers to support each other as the “pressure and stress” of catching up with the backlog of work remains.
“Picking up the phone to call a neighbour, friend or family member, and taking the time to have a chat and get any worries off their minds, can make all the difference at this really difficult time,” Minister Heydon added.