The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has stated that safety must remain the “top priority”, as pressure is now on contractors to complete work.
The FCI appealed to Teagasc farm safety officers to encourage farmers to be more patient and understanding with agricultural contractors.
With the weather easing and more machinery on roads, the FCI said that it is “inevitably” a “high risk period” in terms of farm accidents.
The association stated that contractors are being “pressurised” by farmers to cut silage crops, while many are also trying to get spring crops down, including cereals, maize, beet and reseeding.
“They will deliver, they will aim to satisfy all farmers, but there are only limited hours in the day, limited numbers of machine operators, and everyone needs downtime for safety reasons.
“Working 24/7 is not sustainable or advisable no matter what the conditions or the urgency,” the FCI stated.
Contractors
The association said that contractors and teams of operators have “twin goals” of getting work done fast and safely.
“Farming needs to be fair, it needs to be safer and it needs to be less pressurised for agricultural contractors,” the FCI added.
The message comes as silage season is in full swing, and many farmers and contractors are working long days.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), over the last ten years there have been 191 farm fatalities of which over half, or 96 people, lost their lives in incidents involving farm vehicles and machinery.
“None of this work is life threatening, so don’t create a situation that threatens lives.
“No one can take risks with farm safety, so farmers need to understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that they are not the ones who put the lives of their contractor and their operators at any risk through unreasonable demands,” the FCI stated.