Minister Heydon - Be Winter Ready 2021/22 launch speech

Speech for Be Winter Ready Campaign launch 17th November 2021

I would like to thank Minister Coveney for his kind introduction. I am delighted to be here today to help launch the Government’s Be Winter Ready Campaign, along with my colleagues Minister Coveney and Minister Naughton. The focus of the agriculture sector’s campaign this year is farm safety. Farm safety is an important issue for Government and to highlight the priority that Government has given farm safety, I was appointed with special responsibility for farm safety as part of my portfolio and I take this role very seriously.

Between 2016 and 2020 there were 100 fatal incidents on farms. Of these 46 involved a farm vehicle, 7 involved machinery and 20 involved livestock. The age profile of those involved in farm incidents is also a serious concern, with the old and the young accounting for 65% of fatal incidents on farms. Of 54 workplace deaths in 2020, 20 were on farms, which is disproportionate to the share of the workforce (7.1% in 2019) employed in the sector.

This is why we have chosen to focus on farm safety for the Be Winter Ready Campaign this year. Farm safety must be to the fore of everything we do on farms. There are particular issues that can arise in the winter months with storms and the housing of livestock. Now is the time for farmers to plan to ensure they can farm safely this winter. Around the farmyard, any maintenance work on buildings or machinery should be completed before the winter sets in and as the evenings get shorter, farmers should consider their health and wellbeing as well.

The Be Winter-Ready leaflet sets out areas that farmers need to focus on to ensure that they, their families and all those who may visit their farm will remain safe. As farmers we need to focus on managing the risks that are present, and by managing the risks we reduce the chance of an incident occurring.

Farm safety is not just about physical safety, but also about health and wellbeing. It is just as important to focus on our health and wellbeing, as these contribute to ensuring that we all have the focus to stay safe. That is why I am taking this opportunity to call on all farm advisors to take up the opportunity to undertake the On Feirm Ground training that is currently being offered. It is important that advisors are alert to the warning signs that farmers may be facing difficulties and know how to advise farmers on where they can get help.

With an average of 20 fatal incidents occurring on our farms every year for the last five years, it is time for a permanent change in our attitude and behaviour. This requires us all to say stop. Stop taking chances. Stop the old habits. Stop condoning bad practice. It is only through making this change that the number of injuries and fatalities occurring on our farms will be reduced. I am calling on all farmers take just a few minutes to read the Be Winter-Ready leaflet and then take time to honestly review the risks on our own farms and undertake the necessary tasks to make our farms safer places for ourselves and our families.

I will now hand over to Minister Naughton, who will provide you with further information the work the Department of Transport in relation to the Be Winter Ready preparations.