Call for greater training for farmers

The Mid-Ulster politician was speaking after an FOI revealed that 70 people have died on farms over the last ten years according to the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr Milne said: “It is clear that agriculture and indeed farming remains one of the most hazardous work industries.

“The Rural Development Council and College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise in recent months have done great work by putting on a series of workshops to address the issue of farm safety and I would encourage farmers to take these opportunities to increase their safety measures.

“Farmers need guidance and training on how to use machinery and handling animals in a safe manner as well as first aid and response training in order to deal with incidents on farms to allow time for the emergency services to get there.”

Just last month, an 80-year-old farmer died after suffering a head injury at Clogher Mart.