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The need for farmers to ask for physical or mental support is acute this year given recent weather conditions, and co-founder of Embrace Farm Brian Rohan has asked farmers to mind themselves and avoid stress-related farm accidents.
“There’s an awful lot of extra stress on farmers and no matter what pressure they’re under, be sure and ask for help and seek help out there to take the pressure off them, because it’s when you’re under pressure there are more farm accidents,” Rohan told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Rohan was speaking at Tullamore Show at the launch of Embrace Farm's all-island tractor run to help highlight farm accidents.
There have been 290, which equates to one every 14 days, and that’s just far too many
“Today we launch our all-island tractor drive for those who were killed or seriously injured on farm accidents and also to highlight the number that have been killed in the last 10 years,” Rohan said.
“There have been 290, which equates to one every 14 days, and that’s just far too many.
“We thought we’d have some sort of eternal light at the [National Ploughing Champships] and then we thought we’d take it a step further and why don’t we take the light like an Olympic torch around every county in Ireland, starting here at Tullamore Show and finishing up the first day of the Ploughing.”
“It’s hard to get a light to fit on a tractor for the 32 counties so WR Shaw are fitting the light and in fairness to them they’re supplying the tractor free of charge. So anyone who sees it will see a little red light on the bonnet of the tractor and it’s not on any other tractor so that’s what that light signifies.”
Macra clubs have got on board and Rohan says there will probably be a handover every evening as one club takes over the driving in their part of a county.
The tractor will be fitted with a tracker and people can log in through Embrace Farm's social media profiles to follow the tractor drive and check when it’ll be in their area.
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