DEAR SIR: I read with interest in your newspaper that there were going to be financial measures introduced to help farmers during this crisis. Could I appeal to those in positions of power to allocate some of this funding to making farms safe for the families who live on them?

We live on a mixed farm in the west of Ireland with our children, ranging in ages from 11 to one year old. Our farm is not safe – this is always a bone of contention in our lives. I spend my life living on my nerves, worrying about the next time a jeep drives into the yard at high speed or an animal escapes from their pen.

We both work long hours, trying to keep up with the demands of farming life while home-schooling and minding small children

The problem is that there is always something more important to do – BEEP scheme, REPS, slurry to go out, cattle to look after, grassland management – the list is unending.

Investment in farming seems to rarely focus on the safety needs of the families who live there.

We both work long hours, trying to keep up with the demands of farming life while home-schooling and minding small children.

We are not alone. There are children up and down the length of the country who have already spent 10 long weeks on farms, with parents who are trying to double job and keep the show on the road.

In the absence of grandparents, who often keep an eye out for danger on the farm, we are stretched to keep up-to-date with the demands of the farm while looking after small children.

Leaders, please consider investing some of the money set aside for the current crisis into implementation of safety measures on farms to keep the next generation of farmers safe.