Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare & Leighlin has called on the new Government to prioritise farm safety.

Delivering his homily at the Embrace Farm online remembrance service last weekend, Bishop Nulty called on the newly appointed Government to “prioritise a system where the agricultural agenda will be set, not just around the concept of ‘farm to fork’ or the tackling of carbon emissions while improving biodiversity, but by incentivising farmers to make safety a priority.”

Like the daily figure count in the COVID-19 pandemic, each fatality on a farm is much more than a number

“Our farms are being depopulated as younger people are attracted to cities, towns and off-farm occupations. A prioritised safety agenda helps keep people on the land, on the farm,” he told the online congregation.

“Like the daily figure count in the COVID-19 pandemic, each fatality on a farm is much more than a number, than a statistic. It’s a family decimated; it’s a spouse’s heart-wrenching tears; it’s a parent’s worst nightmare.”

The bishop was speaking after a man in his 60s died in an incident involving a tractor on a farm in Carrigaline, Co Cork last Thursday, 25 June.

The gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are investigating the circumstances of the incident.

It brings to 14 the number of people killed on farms in the Republic of Ireland this year.

The Embrace Farm service will be broadcast on RTÉ One, this Sunday 5 July at 11am.