Rural road users are being urged to exercise patience and awareness as this year’s silage season begins.

The farm and rural affairs chairperson of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Denis Drennan said that rural roads will see a massive increase in heavy traffic over the next four weeks as farmers cut, bale and bring in silage.

Drennan noted that the large numbers of people still using rural roads for walking and cycling exercise in the absence of gyms or sports club training might be taken unaware by the large increase in tractor and trailer volumes.

He expressed specific concern that “the use of headphones [may] mislead people about the proximity of large machinery”.

Incumbent upon everyone to take extra care this silage season

Farmers and contractors engaged in silage work are asked to be extra careful this year in view of the increased numbers of people cycling and walking on rural roads.  

They are asked to pull in – where possible – and allow any build up of traffic to pass.

Drennan added that it is “incumbent upon everyone to take the extra care required to get through what is an incredibly busy period safely and without incident”.  

“That would require people who were visitors to rural areas to be cognisant of the work going on and for all parties to facilitate that in a safe manner,” he concluded.

HSA advice

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is urging all farmers and contractors to carefully plan their work and complete their risk assessments as the busy silage season gets underway.

It comes as the latest data shows that tractors, vehicles and farm machinery are the biggest cause of farm-related fatalities, accounting for over half of farm-related deaths from 2011 to 2020.

Over the past decade, 113 people, 18 of whom were children and young persons under the age of 18, have been killed in farming-related workplace incidents involving tractors, vehicles and machinery.

“We’re advising farmers to take time to plan for a safe silage season,” Pat Griffin, senior inspector with the HSA said.

“Serious life changing injuries can be prevented and lives can be saved if farmers and contractors plan their work in advance, ensure important precautions are taken and make safety their number one priority.”