One out of every 10 farmers in the State experienced some kind of accident last year, writes Sean Mac Connell.
This is according to a new survey carried out by Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority.
There were 24 deaths and more than 3,000 accidents over the year, but the survey found a significant decline in the number of accidents involving farm machinery.
However, the researcher, Ms Anne Finnegan, a Teagasc post-graduate research scientist based in UCD, found the number of accidents caused by livestock and trips and falls in the farmyard had increased.