Robert Carmichael, the East Londonderry Ulster Unionist Party Association Chairman, has urged that with the summer season in full swing, everyone should pay extra attention to farm safety, especially where children were concerned.

In a statement on behalf of the Association to coincide with Farm Safety Week (21st-25th July), Mr Carmichael said: “As we are now in the summer season, there will be many more children in farmyards. We as an Association would appeal to all farmers to take great care as nothing can replace a life and as farmyards can often be dangerous places.”

Mr Carmichael added: “There are certain basic things people can do to maximise safety. Machinery should be kept well maintained and all guards and shields should be in place. Children should be kept well away from any work areas. Silage pits should be in good condition and able to stand the forces of filling, pressing and storage.

“Great care should be taken not to overfill silage pits to prevent avalanches. There is a great deal the individual farmer can do to minimise the risk of accidents.

placeholder image — East Londonderry UUP Association Chairman Robert Carmichael.

“Farmers should remember that it is not just children who need protecting. They need protection themselves. The summer can be a very busy and stressful time on the farm and people can become tired and take unnecessary risks.

“Machinery should be properly maintained and inspected before it is used. Check brakes, lights, indicators, roll bars/cabs and seat belts. People should be mindful of overhead wires and cables.

“Staff and contractors should receive proper training and instruction before starting. If possible, experienced operators should be used. There is a lot everyone can do to optimise safety,” commented Mr Carmichael.

As part of the UUP Association’s campaign to mark Farm Safety Week, Mr Carmichael added they were also calling for additional training courses to enable under 18s to drive farm tractors legally and safely.

He said while the tractor remained “a central piece of machinery in the smooth running of the modern farm”, it was of vital importance the new generation of farmer had the “confidence, responsibility and professionalism to use them properly”.

Mr Carmichael said the UUP Association ‘wholeheartedly congratulated” the Province’s agricultural colleges which ran highly successful tractor training courses.

“The Ulster agricultural sector needs more such courses to not just train young tractor drivers, but also to make our farms even more safer working environments.

“In this respect, we in the UUP Association urge the Stormont agricultural minister to implement a fresh programme of these courses as evening classes, or at weekends so more people can have an opportunity to participate in this training, thereby improving farm safety.

“The provision of such courses will not only train the next generation of competent tractor users, but may also act as an encouragement for more of our Ulster young people to remain in the agricultural sector.

“Trained tractor drivers will also hopefully have fewer accidents involving either themselves or farm property. This will have the added benefit of not only improving the record of farm safety, but will also reduce the amount of damage to costly agricultural equipment or days off work through accidents.

“There is no doubting the provision of a new round of tractor training courses will also contribute to improved work rates, and competence will result in more confidence in general agricultural safety standards,” said Carmichael on behalf of the UUP Association.