East Londonderry UUP urges Stormont to adopt tougher slurry tank rules

The gauntlet was thrown down on behalf of the Association by its Chairman, Mr Robert Carmichael, who said that given the mood of farmers across Northern Ireland on proposals which would severely hamper the development of the dairy industry specifically, he urged the Stormont Farming Minister to shelve the proposals and focus instead on measure that will make farming both more profitable and safer.

Mr Carmichael issued his urgent challenge to the Stormont Executive because of the number of tragedies which had taken place on farms involving slurry, including the deaths of loved ones.

The East Londonderry Chairman said: “Whatever the weather, the summer is upon us and this is a time when many people are visiting farms. It is also a time when farmers and contractors are working on slurry tanks, which are perhaps among the most potentially dangerous locations on any farm.

“From my own experience as a working farmer, we in the East Londonderry UUP recommend that the Stormont Executive, for example, takes the Australian Take Five safety plan as its benchmark for procedures around farm slurry tanks.

“Following on from past tragedies in Northern Ireland, we encourage all farmers and contractors in Northern Ireland, and especially in my native East Londonderry, to ‘take five’ in relation to slurry tank safety.

“We urge all people in our agricultural community to take a few minutes before they start a job, either spreading slurry or dealing with a slurry tank, and assess the dangers and risks to yourself and others.

“One of the best safety policies we have encountered is the Take Five programme devised by the New South Wales State Emergency Service in Australia.

“These rules come under five headings – one, stop, stand back, observe; two, think through the risk; three, identify hazards; four, assess and control risks; five, continually monitor risks.

“As an Association which wants to see the very best for our farming industry in the constituency, we in the UUP recommend that both the minister and his department adopt the Take Five programme for all Ulster farmlands - and that it should be set in legislation for the benefit of all. This is part of the East Londonderry UUP Association’s ‘Putting People First’ agenda for the constituency.

“Indeed, these policies would not only apply to farmers and contractors, but should be observed by all members of the general public who are visiting farms which contain slurry tanks.

“I also hope our Young Farmers’ Clubs across the Province will join our campaign to get the Take Five programme formally implemented as part of the overall farm safety guidelines for Northern Ireland,” said Mr Carmichael on behalf of the East Londonderry UUP Association.