A new farm safety scheme announced in the budget by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney will be open to farmers in the next week.

€12.2 million in funding will be available to the scheme and the grant rate will be 40%, up to a maximum eligible investment ceiling of €20,000, i.e. a maximum grant of €8,000.

There are 27 different areas listed as being eligible. These range from silo safety rails, yard lights, crushes, head scoops, a range of sheep handling facilities and safety covers on external agitation points or manholes.

Announcing the scheme, the Minister said that everybody was acutely aware of the very high level of risk which Irish farms represented in terms of occupational safety.

The Minister had taken advantage of available funds under the old 2007-2013 Rural Development to assist farmers to upgrade the standard of safety on their farms.

Martin O’Halloran, chief executive of the Health and Safety Authority, said: “I very much welcome this fund for farmers to improve safety standards on their farms. Farmers should take this opportunity to deal with the critical safety issues identified for attention within this scheme. The issues identified, if not attended to, could pose a serious danger to farmers”

As the scheme is being introduced under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme, very tight time- limits will be applicable as far as the lodgement of applications and completion of work by farmers is concerned.

The closing date for receipt of applications will be Friday, 9 January 2015, and all work must be completed by farmers and a payment claim lodged with the Department by Monday, 31 August 2015.

The Minister said that there will be no extensions granted to either of these deadlines.

Farm safety has been high profile this year. So far in 2014, 23 people have lost their lives while farming in Ireland. Over half the deaths have been as a result of machinery and vehicles.