Fears for safety during calving and lambing season
FARMERS have been warned to be aware that the “potential for danger” will increase in areas hard-hit by snow and ice.
With the agricultural sector, particularly dairying, already the number one area of workplace fatalities, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has warned the farming community to take extra care as the cold snap comes in the middle of spring calving and lambing season.
Lorcan McCabe, ICMSA deputy president, urged farmers to “consider bringing in young stock” and to monitor water pumps and properly insulate pipes so they are not left without supplies.
“Farmers must be vigilant on their own families’ behalves and particularly on behalf of elderly neighbours,” he said, with farmers also urged to bring in sheep flocks to sheltered areas.
It will also bring extra stresses at a time when farmers are already hard-pressed for fodder in some areas of the country due to shortages and the long winter.
Agricultural advisory body Teagasc has urged farmers to ensure they tell someone where they are going and how long they will be gone for before going out.
Farmers were also called on to carry a charged mobile phone and torch, as well as having grit and salt available. A Teagasc spokesman urged farmers to plan how they will get food and water to stock.