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Rural dwellers and visitors to rural areas have been urged to be extra vigilant over the coming weeks, as it will be a busy period for silage harvesting.
Many farmyards will be a hive of activity, with contractors and farmers under pressure to harvest silage as quickly as possible according to chair of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) farm and rural affairs committee Denis Drennan.
At the same time, he said it was important that work was carried out in a safe environment and safety standards should not be relaxed.
Dangers
Drennan identified two particular dangers.
He said extra working lights mounted on tractors must be turned off when tractors are on roads.
Contractors should also pull in regularly and let tailbacks pass them to avoid risky overtaking.
He appealed to all other road users to be aware of the dangers of increased agricultural traffic on rural roads and the need to slow down and “expect the unexpected” around the next corner.
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