2026-01-29

2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his response to a recent fatal farm incident in County Limerick involving a farmer in his 90s; and, in light of provisional Health and Safety Authority figures showing that 23 people died in the agriculture sector in 2025, accounting for 40% of all workplace fatalities despite the sector employing approximately 4% of the workforce, the urgent actions his Department is taking to improve farm safety and prevent further loss of life. [6544/26]

The Minister and the Minister of State are aware of the recent fatal farm incidents involving Donal O'Connor, who was in his 90s, in County Limerick and T.J. Sweeney, who was in his 30s, in Clare, in light of the provisional Health and Safety Authority figures showing that 23 people died in the agriculture sector in 2025. That is 40% of all workplace fatalities, despite farmers being only 4% of the workforce. What actions is the Department taking to improve farm safety and prevent further loss of life? I take this opportunity to send condolences to Mr. O'Connor's and Mr. Sweeney's families and friends.

I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for raising what is a really important issue. I also offer my condolences and sympathies to those affected by recent bereavements, whether they finally get categorised as farm safety fatalities or otherwise. The HSA, as a statutory body, has work to do. There are an unacceptably high level of fatalities on farms and, as the Deputy quite rightly outlined, ours is the most dangerous workplace in all of Ireland - disproportionately so when you consider the size of the workforce in comparison with those in other industries. My colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, has special responsibility for farm safety, who unfortunately cannot be here today, and I are very concerned by the sharp increase in the number of fatal incidents on farms in 2025, with older farmers proving particularly vulnerable. That was the tenet of the original point of Deputy O'Donoghue's question. As regards the nature of these things, circumstances have changed in the Limerick region since the Deputy submitted the question, as he has outlined. The 24 confirmed farm fatalities in 2025 were double the number for 2024. The Health and Safety Authority, which has primary responsibility for health and safety on farms, is investigating the death of an elderly farmer in a farm incident earlier this month. I extend my deepest sympathies to the family of this elderly farmer and the many other families dealing with the loss of a loved one in a farming incident. Farm safety, health and well-being are an absolute priority for the Government. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to continue to prioritise improvements in farm safety, health and well-being. My Department supports the efforts of the Health and Safety Authority and the Farm Safety Partnership to improve health and safety on Irish farms. Last year, I allocated €1.6 million in funding for 36 farm safety, health and well-being projects under an open call. I secured dedicated funding of €3 million for farm safety, health, and well-being initiatives in budget 2026 to build on existing, and to support new, initiatives in this area, which the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, has responsibility for. I will go into more detail in my supplementary response.

I thank the Minister for putting that funding in. Given the many fatal incidents involving farmers attending livestock alone, can the Minister outline what targeted, practical measures are in place to support farm workers to work safely and whether he will consider enhanced supports and conditions through farm schemes or incentivised safer practices? We need measures as we have an ageing agricultural workforce and many farmers are isolated. We need better measures to protect them. Will the Minister consider introducing a targeted wage subsidy or financial support scheme to enable older, more isolated farmers to hire part-time assistants to reduce workplace risk? Has the Department already examined models that would allow lone farmers on farms to access safety-focused employment support. We will need to implement such schemes to protect farmers' health and safety and workers' rights.

Obviously, anything we say now is in general and not in relation to any specific case.

Yes.

We talked about a range of issues. Generational renewal has a role to play here as well because, in general, the figures show a disproportionate number of old people are dying on our farms. When people asked me before why so many people in their 70s, and some in their 80s, are dying on our farms, it is because so many people are farming in their 70s and 80s. In any other profession, they would not still be working and in harm's way to that extent. In terms of the practical measures in place, when I was a Minister of State, I secured a dedicated budget. I got a separate funding stream under TAMs for farm safety measures, and that has been hugely popular. As well as the farm safety budget, my Department provides 60% grant aid for a range of farm safety-related investments under the farm safety capital investment scheme in TAMs. Further health and safety guidelines are included in all building specifications and all TAMS applicants are required to complete a half-day of farm safety training. That training is included as part of ACRES, the knowledge transfer programme and the suckler carbon efficiency programme, SCEP, as well.

We do know this is a problem. It is acknowledged. We have the statistics going back many years. As an aside, I wonder how much loneliness has to do with people still farming into their 70s, 80s and 90s, like Mr. O'Connor was? We know there are certain schemes out there but if a targeted wage subsidy could be considered as part of the Department's work, that would be fantastic. I welcome the funding, the €1.6 million and the €3 million, that is going in. We have acknowledged the problem and, hopefully, the measures the Minister is taking will bring us to a better place.

I thank the Deputy. I also want to mention the accelerated capital allowances scheme for farm safety equipment which was expanded to cover a broader range of farm safety investments in budget 2025. A suite of different financial supports are there. In relation to older farmers, three quarters of farm fatalities last year involved farmers over 60 years of age. The HSA's farm safety partnership has designed a leaflet entitled, Farming in Older Age, and this will be distributed along with the 2026 BISS, basic income support for sustainability packs to over 125,000 farmers. It will be going out in the post to them. Additionally, my Department is providing funding for the delivery of farm safety awareness programmes for primary and secondary school students to instil the message of farm safety into children from a young age. It is not just to make children more aware. As a father of four young kids, I can tell you the pester power of kids to give out to the older farmers who are doing stuff that is dangerous. Ultimately, at the heart of all this, we have a poor attitude to risk on our farms. We take risks, we put ourselves in harm's way and we think near misses are a normal way of life. No other industry finds that acceptable, and until we change that attitude to risk, we are going to continue to have an unacceptably high level. There is no level that is acceptable because one death is one too many and where are now right now has to change.