The latest annual report from the Health and Safety Executive for NI (HSENI) has highlighted that the number of all work-related fatalities recorded in 2013/14 has fallen to 10, compared with 19 in the previous year.

The biggest fall was in the agriculture sector with the number of fatalities down to four, compared with 11 in the previous year – a drop of 67%.  Despite the improved figures, the HSE has warned that farm safety continues to be the main challenge facing workplace health and safety.

Keith Morrison, HSENI chief executive, said: “The reduction in fatalities in 2013/14 is encouraging but there is no room for complacency, particularly given that this year to date has already sadly witnessed another four fatalities in agriculture. We must collectively continue to do all we can to ensure that farm deaths and accidents become a thing of the past.”

During the year, staff from the HSE undertook 1,000 farm advisory visits and delivered over 35 farm safety presentations to audiences across NI. 

It also delivered its farm safety programme to over 12,000 children in 93 rural primary schools and distributed an “Avoid harm on the farm” safety calendar to 38,500 families.

As well as a reduction in work related deaths, the HSE report also points to a continued downward trend in all work-related injuries.

In its response to a Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) review of agri-food marketing and promotion in NI, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said that it supports a single body being set up to promote NI agri-food.

Currently, agri-food promotion falls to a number of bodies, including Invest NI, the LMC, the Pork and Bacon Forum, the Dairy Council and Food NI. However, in its Going for Growth report, the Agri-Food Strategy recommended that government consolidates all marketing and promotional activity into a single agri-food marketing organisation in NI. It is a similar model to the Irish food board (Bord Bia).

According to UFU president Ian Marshall, our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland and Scotland are blazing ahead with their food promotion activities, and there is a real chance that NI will be left behind.

Moving to a single marketing and promotional body would create a number of logistical issues. One option is that they remain separate entities, but work together under one overall structure. There is also the issue of a NI brand, important in the local market, but irrelevant further afield. While NI does not have the brand awareness of competitors, our major advantage is that we can sell NI produce as British in the British market and Irish when selling elsewhere.