The dairy farmer and Roscommon champion explained how easily farm accidents can occur.

"Farm safety is very important. When you hear about fatalities, you realise it could have happened on your farm," he said. "We work in a very dangerous environment.

He also spoke about an incident when his eldest son, then aged three, almost became a statistic.

"He wandered out when I was feeding the cattle and he nearly got caught against the wall with the wheel of a tractor. Luckily, I stopped at the right time," he said. "Children should never be left unsupervised on the farm."

FBD has developed new Champions for Change farm safety packs and signage which will be delivered around the country. In addition, FBD will carry out 30,000 farm visits throughout 2015 to undertake insurance surveys and to help farmers identify areas where safety could be improved.

Watch Tomas Mannion speak about farm safety

Former Sligo captain talks about safety on his farm