Farmers bogged down in soggy weather have been warned to guard against the possibility of fatalities as they harvest in the worst conditions for years. Rural insurer NFU Mutual has called on farmers to take extreme care to avoid accidents in the wet harvest conditions and warning them not to cut corners to save time. While producers in England were hardest hit in the recent flooding, farmers in the Comber and Newtownards areas of Northern Ireland are having trouble harvesting crops such as potatoes. Some Ulster farmers have even been forced to bring in silage and hay for their livestock because of the waterlogged ground caused by the constant rainfall.
David Leavesley of NFU Mutual Risk Management Services said, "When we get a wet harvest both machines and farm workers are under pressure leading to an increased risk of accidents. For farmers and staff, the stress of getting the harvest in under difficult conditions can lead to very long hours and the temptation to cut corners on good safety practices. Wet weather also puts machinery under greater strain. Combine cutter bars often have to be set lower, increasing the risk of picking up foreign objects, while wet crops put drive belts, bearings and engines under greater strain."
Farmers are therefore urged to keep up with regular machinery maintenance and keep safe working as their first priority.
