The body in charge of policing safety in the workplace is being called before a Dáil committee over its decision to cut the number of farm inspections in 2015.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) announced last week that it was cutting the number of farm inspections in 2015 by 600 to 2,300. The HSA said it is cutting farm inspections so it could focus on other farm safety measures including education at discussion group level. The HSA will appear before the Joint Oireachtas Agriculture Committee next Thursday, 29 January at 2.30pm.

Chairman of the Agriculture Committee Andrew Doyle said it was necessary to have the HSA appear before the committee to understand the reasoning behind its decision to cut inspections.

“The HSA has to be given an opportunity to explain the rationale behind its inspection policy,” Deputy Doyle said to the Irish Farmers Journal.

“There has been quite a bit of unease about the decision (to cut inspection). We’re not going to prejudge what they have done but rather use it as an opportunity to understand the logic behind it. After that, we will see if we have to make recommendations,” Doyle added.

The announcement by the HSA to cut inspections came just two days before the first farm death of 2015 and on the back of the worst year for farm safety in over 20 years. Thirty people lost their lives on Irish farms in 2014 making it the worst year for farm safety since 1991.