With 12 fatalities on Irish farms so far this year, each of the speakers launching the 25th year of the show said the farming community needs to redouble their efforts when it comes to safety on farm.

Two weeks ago saw three people losing their lives while farming and junior agriculture Minister Andrew Doyle said there is a disproportionate level of deaths on farms when compared with other workplaces.

“Farms used to be a place for having your cousins from the city come to play in the hay and have fun but they’re potentially very dangerous working envrionments. As of today, we have 12 fatalties unfortunately which is 50% of the workplace deaths from just 6% of the (overall) workforce,” Minister Doyle said.

Pat Corbet who is the president of the Irish Shows Association, in his opening speech, echoed Minister Doyle’s sentiments.

“At one time a farm was a playground, its’ a hazard now,” he said.

The Tullamore Show is in its 25th year and takes place on Sunday 14 August. In the region of 60,000 people are expected to attend the Show over the course of the day.

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