Mattie McGrath spoke in the Dáil on 3 December 2020 about farm safety and routine inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he wholeheartedly supported a farm safety amendment, welcomed tax relief measures and urged that routine farm inspections be postponed unless there was clear suspicion of animal welfare issues.
Support for the amendment
The deputy said he supported the amendment wholeheartedly and welcomed the provisions in the bill. He thanked the minister for the initiative, praised the minister's farming background as helpful to understanding the issues, and welcomed measures elsewhere to speed up tax relief and rebates for farmers.
Safety risks on modern farms
He highlighted a shocking number of fatalities and serious accidents, including loss of limb and trauma to farm families. He argued that farms are now lonelier and often more dangerous because of the increasing size of tractors and machinery, and he saluted everyone involved in promoting farm safety.
Inspection pressures during COVID
The deputy described current farm inspections as placing enormous pressure on farmers in the middle of the pandemic. He cited a case in South Tipperary where a farmer with more than 10,000 sheep faced inspections after a shepherd died, and said weather, short days and staffing shortages make inspections especially traumatic at this time.
Requests for postponement and clarification
He urged that routine inspections be postponed until springtime unless there is clear suspicion of animal welfare breaches, and asked the minister to clarify whether inspection frequency is driven by an EU directive. He called for common sense in scheduling inspections and for inspectors to consider postponement during COVID.
Alternatives and calls for support
The deputy proposed alternatives such as using drones or other technology, remote checks or telephone contact by DVO inspectors, and increased engagement and training rather than punitive regulation. He repeatedly called for "support not intimidation" for farmers, stressing the need for mental-health support, staffing help and community services in rural areas.
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I do want to support this amendment wholeheartedly and thank Minister Hayden and come to Minterman his appointment and his initiative and he understands it because he's a farmer himself and you know I'm glad that the Minister Dunham has embraced it and made efforts here with tax relief and and faster tax rebates and relief because it's just simply shocking number of fatalities and the number of of incidents and accidents and you know loss of limb and loss of life first of all but loss of limb and the trauma that that brings on to the whole farming community and the whole farm wife and the farm family because farms as we know especially in the past used to be a full farm family enterprise but now it's become very lonely and very it's not any less dangerous probably more dangerous because the size of the tractors the size of the equipment and all the measures that Minister Hayden said there about you know they're different for people who have had the accidents they're very important you know for the the quick hitches and the hand levers and the front and rear pickups and all that but the size but that won't deal with the size of the tractors and just anything come in their direction you won't see because they're just ginormous and massive and unfortunately it's where farmers have gone so big so I welcome the provisions in the bill and I will be supporting this amendment and I would salute everyone involved in farm safety and there's a great scheme and they came in today I will be able to tell us just the name one come to me maybe Mr Hayden will be able to help me I can't think of it but two ladies at this wonderful scheme I did a video and I went to national schools and it's all stopped now obviously with COVID but it was a wonderful scheme and showed in here and dangerous and a talk and a proper video and an animated video to show the risks and the dangers and like we all see children on tractors and everything else you know and it's just frightening because the potential is there for accidents all the time but the farmers now are a very lonely place and you know there's normally only one farmer and he won't even see the milkman now because they come at three and four in the morning that's the way it is with the land beers and one of them did the creamery and this all leads into why we're talking about the loss of the local pubs and local services shops and post offices it's lonesome and I want to have just with your indulgence when we're on this count caller please allow me to bring up the issue of farm inspections they're going on now at the moment right in the middle of COVID farmers need support of mental health they can't get staff staff got sick I have a farmer on South Tipperary with 10,000 plus sheep and it was about ongoing battle with the pet not a battle they want to book with them but they're coming to inspecting sheep why they can't use drones or something technology if there's animal cruelty that has to be eradicated I'm all for that but he has a shepherd who has died he's not a shepherd who is sick and he's unable now his family member is gone sick with the stress of it the trauma the days are so short now with fog and with rain to try and get sheep off a mountain or the size of mountains with sheepdogs next night impossible and they should be postponed until very little springtime unless there's clear suspicion that there's any animal welfareage and surely we take down technology we can we can examine that but I thought it was an EU directive the minister minister Hayden might be able to clarify that the minimum of farm inspections should be going on I've spoken to minister mcconnell about this I've spoken to the DVO in Tipperary and it's putting enormous pressure and stress support is what the farmers need in these very trying times they can't get staff the weather the prices and the COVID and the lack of people around them in the space you know in in in in the hillsides in Tipperary and in the east park and and you know and you know the Galatia mountain talk knock mill down and the fame steven them on so the farmers want to work and they have complied but we need engagement and training and I welcome all those issues there and I welcome the community aspect of due minister Hayden that you said but I'm asking you at the moment have common sense and have these inspections uh postponed until you know in springtime when the days are longer and the weather is better and farmers will have maybe some help back again because I get staff to do that kind of work and you have to train shepherds to go out and round up sheep which are sheepdogs and get them in and and mine them and have them in for inspection so I'm appealing that these inspections unless there's desperate grave need to stop and instead of that we ask the DVO inspectors to visit farmers or do online or talk to them on the telephone to support them and ask them about problems because they have many problems with bills to pay this time of year and with you know and poor prices and Brexit worrying them and everything else so support not intimidation and and and over regulation we need support support support for these farmers because as I said they're on their own many of them now and you know it's lonely lonely but I do welcome them and I support the amendment the whole heart of the anything to do for farm safety has to be welcomed thank you
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