IFA grain chairman Liam Dunne wants Ireland’s farms to be safer places. He believes that farmers need to be proactive in taking steps to improve the safety status of their farms.

“When we talk of farm safety, we are actually discussing our own wellbeing and that of our children, spouses, parents, siblings, and colleagues, the people we care about most,” Liam said. “For that reason, I believe that farmers are only too willing to embrace change”.

Liam believes that farmers need to take measures now, together. “The law is one thing, but I believe that independent of the laws of the land, there are some obvious issues to be addressed.”

The method would be a voluntary code of practice, adopted by IFA members. It would include things like appropriate training for tractor and machinery driving for young people. It would also include sensible graded limits to the responsibility placed on novice drivers.

“We all know that a sixteen-year-old should not be driving a 200 horsepower tractor drawing over 20 tonnes of grain,” he says. “Similarly, children should never be unsupervised in a busy yard.” Liam would like to see the voluntary code embrace much of the HSA’s 2011 recommendations for children and farm safety.

He raised his proposal at Tuesday’s executive council meeting. It is now to be discussed at the various committees. He believes that time is ticking on this issue.

“Adopting a voluntary code of practice will save lives,” he said.

“It would also establish an industry standard drawn up by family farmers themselves. The alternative is to do nothing, which will eventually result in much more draconian measures being imposed by statutory authorities.”