Local Fine Gael councillor John Dolan has called upon farmers, and those who reside in rural areas, to try to be as vigilant as possible and take whatever steps are necessary to make both farms and the surrounding areas as safe as possible, particularly for children.
“2014 is becoming a very dark year for farm deaths in Ireland, with 17 people losing their lives in farm accidents so far this year- one more than in the whole year of 2013. The August bank holiday weekend was particularly sad with two children losing their lives in farm-related accidents,” said Cllr Dolan.
As a farmer himself, Cllr Dolan says he knows only too well how dangerous a place a farm can be.
“In a sense a farm can be such a peaceful and beautiful place to both work and to rear a family in, but unfortunately sometimes these surroundings can be a very dangerous place especially for kids. I want to commend the IFA and the Health and Safety Authority for holding the first National Farm Safety Awareness day last month, but clearly more needs to be done to get the message through,” he said.
