Twenty marts will be inspected for safety issues in late 2019, Health and Safety Authority (HSA) senior inspector Pat Griffin told the Irish Farmers Journal. The inspections are part of a new campaign by the HSA which will see it agree minimum public safety standards with marts in the first half of the year, followed by inspections.

“We’ll allow the mart to get to that standard before any inspection.

“Anywhere that fails to reach the standard, we’ll be looking for a risk assessment to be in place and that it is satisfactory to standards.

“The biggest issue is farmers in some locations are allowed to walk through pens, etc. That needs to be stopped or managed in a certain way,” he said.

We have also seen instances where mart management have exposed employees and the public to practices that the courts have deemed negligent

Meanwhile, until there is a change in the frequency and severity of accidents in marts, insurance premiums will remain stubbornly high, a spokesperson for FBD Insurance has told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Marts have been and continue to be a loss-making sector for FBD, with claims in marts equating to 144% of the premia charged from 2013 to the third quarter of 2018.

This does not include the cost of managing claims, the cost of sales and staff, and the cost of risk management for this sector.

“We have also seen instances where mart management have exposed employees and the public to practices that the courts have deemed negligent, further increasing the court awards,” the spokesperson said.

FBD Insurance currently insures more than 50 marts in Ireland.

While FBD said that marts are an integral part of the farming community, the operating environment for marts has changed significantly in recent times.