With the commencement of Farm Safety Week 2021 today (Monday, July 19), Agriland spoke to Minister of State with responsibility for Farm Safety – and farmer – Martin Heydon, about what is being done to make farms safer workplaces, and why the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could be a gamechanger for farm safety in Ireland.
It’s been just over a year since Martin Heydon was appointed the country’s first farm-safety minister. In an industry that continues to make headlines for being the most dangerous, despite its modest size, it is a big responsibility – but a necessary one.
CAP and farm safety
While farm-safety initiatives and farmer training are now fairly commonplace, Minister Heydon is adamant that a real change – that ‘culture change’ that has been referred to on many occasions in relation to this topic – can only be achieved by making farm safety a meaningful focus of all aspects of agriculture.
And, to do that, he has committed to putting farm safety at the heart of the next CAP.
He explained:
“A huge farm-safety opportunity we have available to us is through CAP.”
“We have to incorporate it into everything we do – in our interactions with farmers, with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), into every conversation – and there is no better way to do that than through CAP.”
He said he has been working very hard to ensure that safety is an “overarching theme” of CAP, something that has never been the case before, he said.
That means that “every scheme that is devised [under CAP], will have a farm-safety aspect to it”.
“As well as formal training, farm safety will be addressed in terms of on-farm investment funding, through the implementation of new livestock schemes, and agri-environmental schemes.
“And I intend to use every opportunity provided around the public engagement that there will be around our CAP strategic plan – which will be published shortly – to raise awareness of farm safety also.”
Walk the walk
Familiarity can breed complacency, which makes it difficult sometimes to see what is right in front of you. This, the minister said, is one of the major challenges to farm safety in Ireland.
He wants to equip farmers to be able to identify hazards on the farm – as second nature – and, more importantly, to rectify them.
If you talk the talk, then you should walk the walk, right? So, what changes has the minister made recently on his own farm to improve safety?
“I recently made a concrete block with two rings on it, that can be lifted by a loader, to put over a septic tank that had a crack in it,” he replied when questioned on recent safety measures he had carried out on his own farm.
“I had identified it as a risk, I saw my kids playing in the front lawn which is close to the farm, but not on it, and I knew I had to fix that. Within a week, I had a cover made and put over it,” he said.
“Truth be told though, a few years ago, if I wasn’t in the job I am in now, that is something that I might not have noticed, or might not have looked at for quite some time before fixing it.”
Farm safety – fatal accidents in 2021
Over the last decade, 21 people have died – on average, per year – on Irish farms.
And, every year, the headlines tell the same stories about agriculture still being the most dangerous profession in the country – it accounts for 50% of all fatal workplace-related deaths despite its 6% workforce size.
“This time last year, when I was appointed in July, the number of farming fatalities at that stage stood at 14. It was a particularly bad start to the year – the pandemic started, schools were closed, a lot of people were around home, and around the farm,” the minister said.
Current figures from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), at the time of publication, indicate that three farming-related fatalities have occurred in Ireland so far this year.
“One death is one too many, and we must think of the three families who are grieving, it is truly terrible for them,” said Minister Heydon.
“Agriculture is an outlier and has been for some time, and that is why my appointment [as farm-safety minister] reflects our determination to change the culture and significantly reduce the unacceptable levels of farm fatalities.”
‘There is no excuse’
The theme of this year’s Farm Safety Week is ‘rethink risk’. But this is something Minister Heydon wants farmers to incorporate into their daily routines.
“So, take a minute, stop and see if there are safer ways of doing things. Where are the hazards? Does something need to be replaced? Do up the list of things to be done. Do up a list of things that are dangerous. Be determined to implement that list. There is no excuse not to,” he said.
That is all well and good when there is some downtime, but in the midst of the busiest season – when there are many lists on the go – what then?
“Farmers tend not to put themselves first – not just when it comes to farm safety, but in terms of their own wellbeing too,” Minister Heydon said.
“Do farmers mind themselves before really busy periods to ensure that they are going into a task fresh and not exhausted? Do they understand that there are long days ahead, and the risks involved in that? Farmers must realise that they have to mind themselves.”
“More accidents happen at busy times than quiet times, so that is when farmers need to heighten their awareness even more.”
There is no excuse, he said, with more farm-safety supports, initiatives and schemes available than ever before.
Supports and schemes
Last year, €1 million was secured under a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) scheme – the first time it had ever been secured for farm safety – to support the development of more community-based farm-safety projects.
“The whole idea of the EIP model, is that they are local ideas, they come from the ground up and are locally led; they can be piloted in a relatively small area, with a relatively small group; and they can, hopefully be scaled up.”
Very soon, the first successful project – of which there are five – will commence. These will be revealed in the coming weeks.
These projects may feed into national schemes in the future, he said.
Accelerated capital allowance
Although the application process is still awaiting approval from the attorney general, an accelerated capital allowance scheme for farm-safety equipment has been operational since January 2021.
This scheme allows those eligible, to claim allowances of 50% per annum over two years for certain safety equipment (on a list of approved items).
“It is a really excellent initiative and the idea behind that list (see below) is that, when someone invests in farm-safety measures, or adaptive measures for the survivors of accidents who have life-changing injuries, they will be able to recoup the cost against that in their tax bill over two years,” the minister explained.
Eligible farm-safety equipment:
- Hydraulic linkage arms mounted tractor jacking systems;
- Big bag (equal to or greater to 500kb) lifter, with or without integral bag cutting system;
- Chemical storage cabinets;
- Animal anti-backing gate for use in cattle crush or race;
- Quick hitch mechanism for rear and front three-point linkage to enable hitching of implements without need to descend from tractor;
- Provision of access lift, hoist or integrated ramp to farm vehicle, including modified entry when required;
- Wheelchair restraints;
- Wheelchair docking station;
- Modified controls to enable full hand operation of farm vehicle*;
- Modified seating to enable operation of a farm vehicle*;
- Additional steps to farm vehicle* or machinery to provide easier access;
- Modified farm vehicle* or machinery controls to enable control by hand or foot;
- Hydraulically located lower three-point linkage arms.
*A farm vehicle is an agricultural tractor, agricultural self-propelled machine, all-terrain vehicle, or utility terrain vehicle.
“The scheme is live in that, if someone has made an investment in farm safety equipment since the start of this year, they can still be covered. But I am hoping that application process will open in the very near future, the minister said.
“The money, €15 million over three years, has been secured but I am frustrated that the application hasn’t opened up to now,” he added.
“This is exactly the type of initiative I want to encourage, as well as the other significant investment opportunities that we have already in the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS). For example, €7 million has been spent on housing under TAMS II since 2016.”
Farm-safety training, for farmers themselves, also takes place as part of TAMS. While Covid-19 has impacted this, the minister said they are still aiming to have 50,000 farmers trained up by the year’s end.
Agricultural advisers too, under the On Feirm Ground initiative, have also received training with a mental health focus.
While a lot is being done, more is needed – the minister would agree – to amend the headlines we mentioned earlier, and achieve that culture change.
Here’s hoping the next CAP will, indeed, be a CAP for farm safety.