Farm safety workshops are being offered free under the initiative called Farm Families Key Skills, announced Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen. The Minister urged farmers to give priority to farm safety training under the initiative from the The Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS). They are a key element delivered under the Health and Safety training, coming under the Rural Development Programme. The Northern Ireland Rural Development Council delivers the scheme on farms all over Northern Ireland, offered free for farmers, farm family-members and also their employees.
The workshops aim at raising awareness in farm families to look for potential risks and for improvements. It emphasis on learning from near-miss situations and by the immediate action taken and improvements made. It highlights spreading the farm safety message to farm visitors, its employees and vulnerable farm members, like older people and children. The Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme funds the programme managed by College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Minister McIlveen said Health and Safety remains an important issue. She said that injuries and fatalities caused remain the same. They can be avoided by raising awareness, adopting safe practices and small improvements at farms, she added. The Minister said the short workshops are ideal opportunities and encouraged everyone to attend the workshops to make 2017 a safer year for farms. To register for a free workshop or for more information, go to the relevant website and page at – cafre.ac.uk/industry-support/farm-family-key-skills/. Or contact Anne Marie, Ph No:028 8676 6980. Alternatively, mail to – abell@rdc.org.uk.
