22-04-2025
Emergency services warn farmers after rescue delays on Irish farms
Dr Jason van der Velde, pre-hospital emergency medicine specialist and clinical lead with the HSE National Telemedicine Support Unit, said confusion over locations continues to delay emergency crews in farm rescues.
'They [farmers or contractors] might be able to describe a certain field and know exactly where they are, but if you go to try and translate that to somebody sitting in a control room up in Tallaght, it's impossible,' he said. 'Relying on local knowledge can be difficult – this is always going to be a problem.
'The Eircodes have made such a huge difference since they were introduced.'
Dr Van der Velde said it is not just farmers who need to know their Eircodes, but anyone working on the land.
'It may be your farm, but often it's not – it could be friends, family or contractors.
'Unless you know the Eircode to the entrance, how are you going to describe to somebody in Tallaght how to get to the place where you are?
'If you're going to be working someone's land for the day, just write it down. It's very easy to find.'
Even with an Eircode, mistakes still happen, he warned.
'Just in recent weeks, we had a reliable Eircode and travelled as per Google Maps. But we got there and it wasn't the field – the entrance was on the other side of the land.
'That then becomes difficult because you could be literally driving another 10 minutes, going down another road, another road, another road to get access.'
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About 19pc of injuries are machine accidents and 13pc are livestock, but 71.5pc of deaths occur in the farmyard
Farm safety remains a huge concern, with injury and fatality rates in agriculture eight times higher than any other Irish industry.
'About 19pc of injuries are machine accidents and 13pc are livestock, but 71.5pc of deaths occur in the farmyard,' he said.
'It's not just the farmer getting hurt, it's family members. Over 90pc of all injuries are family. Parents over 65 account for 50pc of annual fatalities and children under 17 make up 23pc.'
Dr Van der Velde is running a farm safety educational tour with West Cork Rapid Response across the Beara Peninsula from May 24 to June 1
