Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has revealed that 62 people have died on Northern Ireland farms in the last 10 years.
Of those fatal accidents, 70% involved moving vehicles or livestock handling.
Mrs Foster urged farmers to take extra care as they enter one of the busiest times of the agricultural year and suggested contacting the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland for more help.
Mrs Foster said, “In the last 10 years, 62 people have died needlessly in incidents associated with farm work. Tragically, this statistic includes child deaths and it underlines the need for extra vigilance on our farms.”
She added, “Farming is a high-risk occupation with farmers, farm workers and farming families at risk from the movement of vehicles, the handling of livestock and the use of dangerous machinery. Farmers have a responsibility to manage health and safety to ensure that they, their employees and their family members are kept safe on the farm. Farmers need to be reminded both of the hazards that exist on their farms and the scale of the risk they present.”
