Mags Gargan
Bishop Denis Nulty has urged parishes to highlight the importance of farm safety following a huge increase in fatal farming accidents this year.
The Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin told The Irish Catholic that farm safety was “critical in my opinion”, with 13 farm accidents so far in the first six months of this year, compared to 16 last year.
“The farming community is the backbone of many rural parishes and a fatal accident is not just a huge loss to a family but to the whole parish community,” he said.
“Parishes should highlight the issue of farm safety in parish newsletters and with children visiting during the summer holidays we need to be extra vigilant, and this is a priority as much for the community as for farming families.”
Bishop Nulty was speaking after attending an ecumenical remembrance service in Abbeyleix on Sunday, which was organised by the Rohan family as part of their new EMBRACE campaign following their own tragic loss as a result of a farm accident.
Bishop Nulty said he was “delighted” to add his support to this national movement to promote awareness of the dangers posed on farms.
He said it was “a chilling reality” that someone working on a farm is up to ten times more likely to be killed in the course of their job, “making it the second most hazardous occupation alongside mining”.
