NEW grant aid aimed at improving farm safety, announced this week by Minister of State at the Dept. of Agriculture, Martin Heydon, has been welcomed by farm representatives.

The measures will provided 60% grant aid for the purchase of quad bike helmets and covers for PTO shafts – between 2013 and 2022, there have been 10 fatalities involving quads.

A budget of €1.5 million has been provided from the National Exchequer for the new safety scheme which opened last week – it closes on September 29 of this year.

The maximum amount of aid under the measure is for two quad bike (ATV) helmets and four PTO shaft covers – grant aid will be at a rate of 60% subject to a maximum eligible cost of €100 per PTO shaft cover and €150 per quad bike (ATV) helmet.

Minister Heydon said that investing in safety would provide for better operating conditions and ensure that work can be done without risk of injury or fatality.

“This measure is designed to drive a change in behaviour and address unsafe practices such as operating a quad without a helmet, or operating machinery with defective or missing PTO shaft covers,” he said.

Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs representative, Teresa Roche, said that the grants were ‘very welcome’ and should incentivise farm families to ensure that helmets were worn on quads and that PTO shafts were properly covered. One farm fatality is one too many and any incentives that are introduced to encourage more safety measures are to be welcomed.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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