Farm Health & Safety is an important issue that has recently been receiving a lot of attention from all those concerned with farming.

Part of the National Rural Network (NRN)1 brief is to demonstrate the effectiveness of measures taken under the Rural Development Programme (RDP). One of the issues identified as being relevant in this context is the issue of farm safety. Farm safety is a very complex issue which continues to be a serious concern. According to Health and Safety Authority (HSA) statistics, the most dangerous occupationsin recent times have been construction and agriculture. A huge effort has been made by the HSA toaddress the risks of these two sectors and there has been huge improvements made in the construction sector in particular. Figures for fatalities and serious injury in agriculture have proven to be more difficult to consistently reduce and the figures for fatalities/serious injury for older people and young people onfarms are of particular concern. The RDP has no direct responsibility to address health and safety concerns in agriculture, farm safety is primarily under the aegis of the HSA. However, the RDP channels significant funding to family farms. This case study addresses the interaction between RDP measures and health and safety on farms and makes suggestions for improving health and safety.

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