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Chairmen and board members of ICOS member dairy co-operatives (the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society) pictured with FBD chairman Michael Berkery, having launched a major national initiative to bring home the farm safety message. Photo: Alf Harvey

In a major show of industry solidarity designed to up the game for everyone around farm safety, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (including all Irish dairy co-operatives) will partner nationally with the FBD Champions for Change programme. The all-encompassing co-operative sector initiative was launched in Portlaoise by the entire Board of ICOS together with FBD Chairman, Michael Berkery.

All ICOS member dairy co-operatives nationwide will engage proactively with their milk producers to highlight the risks of farm accidents and deaths, promoting key safety messages. ICOS dairy co-operatives including the major dairy processors will be circulating over 20,000 FBD Champions for Change information packs to dairy farmers as well as erecting safety signs in over 250 co-operative stores nationwide.

WORRYING STATS

Figures from the Health & Safety Authority show that (across all industry sectors) 55 people were killed in work-related accidents in 2014, the highest rate of fatalities since 2008.

Fatalities in the agriculture sector increased by 87% in 2014, with 30 people (including 5 children) killed compared to 16 in 2013. For the fifth year running the agriculture sector recorded the highest number of fatalities, representing over half of all work related deaths in 2014. More than 2500 serious accidents occur on Irish farms each year.

ICOS (the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society) represents co-operatives and organisations in Ireland – including the Irish dairy processing co-operatives and livestock marts – whose associated businesses have a combined turnover in the region of €14 billion, with some 150,000 individual members, employing 12,000 people in Ireland, and a further 24,000 people overseas.

Board members of ICOS at the launch included: ICOS President. Martin Keane (Vice Chairman Glanbia); ICOS Vice President, Michael Spellman (Roscommon Mart and chairman of ICOS National Livestock Marts); James Lynch (Chairman, Dairygold); Alo Duffy (Chairman, Lakeland Dairies); Michael O’Connor (Kerry Co-op); Padraig Gibbons (Aurivo Co-op); Jim Russell (Chairman, Centenary Thurles, Vice-Chairman Irish Dairy Board); Jerry Long (Drombane Co-op); John Ahern (North Cork Creameries Co-op); Matt Quinlan (Chairman, Tipperary Co-op); Liam Williams (Chairman, Clare Marts) and Seamus O’Brien (Chairman IFAC).

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