With children off school for three weeks now due to Covid-19 and the Easter Bank Holiday this weekend, IFA President Tim Cullinan has appealed to farmers and everybody in the farming community to step up their farm safety plan.
In the last 10 years, there have been 21 fatalities involving children. The majority of these accidents involve a child and a tractor. Children forget the operator of the tractor can’t hear them or see them.
There have been four deaths on Irish farms this year.
Tim Cullinan said it’s up to farmers to protect the most vulnerable on our farms. “Parents should talk to their children about the dangers around their farmyard. When a parent is safety conscious, this awareness will transfer to their children,” he said.
Children under seven are not allowed to travel in a tractor. Children should have a safe and secure place to play, where they cannot access the farmyard.