IFA president Tim Cullinan said farmers must put safety first on their farms, as not doing so puts them, their children and their neighbours at risk.

“As farmers, we have to take the lead role in addressing this issue and that starts at home on our own farms. There have been eight confirmed deaths on Irish farms this year. This is not just a statistic, behind the numbers are heartbroken families,” he said.

“The message from IFA on farm safety is clear – farmers have to put safety first on their farms. The reality of the figures of injury and death on farms is devastating for the families involved.

“Farmers need to be serious about recognising the dangers of their workplace. They need to minimise all risks while taking on every job, both for themselves and others,” he said.

“COVID-19 has resulted in more children and young adults being at home on farms. This increases the risk of injury and death. We are also in silage season, with contractors and machinery operators working flat out trying to get through the workload,” said the IFA president.

It is the middle of the breeding season, with cows, young calves, and stock bulls on-farm, which can be especially dangerous at this time of year. Caution is also needed for those who operate quad bikes on farms. While they are a very useful tool for any farm, they are also a high risk, particularly if driven too quickly or with passengers.

Cullinan said: “Farmers must slow down, plan the job out, use proper equipment and keep others back. There is nothing more precious than life – the work will always get done”.

“IFA offers our sincere sympathy to all the families that have lost loved ones on Irish farms over the years,” he added.

Speaking after an IFA video meeting with Tanáiste Simon Coveney and Minister Helen McEntee, IFA president Tim Cullinan said: “Brexit is still a massive threat to Irish farming and a no deal crash-out by the UK is a real possibility, if they do not change course”.

“In that scenario, an EU Brexit fund of €1bn or more would be required in market supports, direct payments to farmers, and long-term structural and adjustment funding, with special emphasis on the beef sector,” Cullinan told the Tanáiste.

“The current EU-UK talks are not going in the right direction. The UK government is refusing to commit to a level playing field, based on the high standards demanded by consumers in the areas of food safety, animal health and the environment. In Westminster, they have rejected amendments to their own agriculture bill that would prevent lower standard food imports into Britain,” he said.

“The UK is clearly hell-bent on pursuing a cheap food policy and in their trade talks with the US, they show all the signs of caving in to long-standing US demands on hormone beef, chlorinated chicken and GM products. Meanwhile, in the EU talks, the UK is rejecting any extension of the current transition period, which ends in seven months’ time on 31 December 2020.”

Cullinan said: “We were very clear with the Tanáiste that the current direction of travel would be very damaging for Irish farming and could be Armageddon for the beef sector.

“Farmers have been hit hard by the double blow of COVID-19 coming on top of Brexit uncertainty. Farmers have stepped up to ensure EU food security and agriculture must be included in the EU recovery fund.”

“Winter finishers have been savaged by massive losses, with income cuts also in the dairy and other sectors. The Tanáiste accepted that the COVID-19 EU package was ‘not sufficient yet’ and IFA is insisting that the Government and EU present a much stronger support package, including direct payments to compensate livestock farmers for ongoing losses.”

Referring to the UK proposals on trade from Britain to Northern Ireland, he added: “The EU must resist the UK trying to cut corners on their commitments in the Withdrawal Agreement, which require full SPS checks and customs controls on products entering Northern Irish ports in order to protect the Single Market. Northern Ireland cannot become a back-door into the EU for the UK’s sub-standard, cheap food imports.”

Included in the meeting were IFA deputy president Brian Rushe, livestock chair Brendan Golden, dairy chair Tom Phelan, sheep chair Sean Dennehy and director general Damian McDonald.