Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for farm safety, Martin Heydon, announced on Wednesday the immediate reopening of the National Farm Safety Measure.
The 2024 scheme will provide a financial contribution to participating farmers covering 60% of the eligible cost of power take off shaft covers subject to a maximum eligible cost of €100 per PTO shaft cover, ie if a cover costs €100 excluding VAT then €60 can be recouped from grant aid.
Funded by the National Exchequer, the scheme, which opened on 24 July, will remain open to 1 November 2024. Grant aid is payable on a maximum of four PTO shaft covers per applicant.
Quad bike helmets were included in the 2023 scheme, but have been removed in the 2024 scheme as operators of quads for work are required to wear a quad helmet by law and, as such, State aid rules prohibit the grant aiding of quad helmets.
Launching the measure during Farm Safety Week 2024, Minister Heydon said: “I am reopening the National Farm Safety Measure to help protect farmers and everyone involved in operating PTO-powered equipment from serious and fatal injuries.
“This measure will support farmers in the purchase of new PTO shaft covers. Unsafe practices must be addressed and through this measure I am raising awareness of the risks posed by operating PTO powered machinery that have defective or missing PTO shaft covers.”
The minister added: “Farmers are required to maintain a Farm Safety Code of Practice risk assessment. As part of Farm Safety Week, I am urging farmers to review their farm safety risk assessment and identify any hazards on the farm, including defective or damaged PTO shaft covers.
“There are unique hazards attached to farming, but by identifying and putting steps in place to mitigate them, we can reduce the risks on farms.”
Farmers who applied for grant aid under the National Farm Safety Measure 2023 are also eligible for this measure.
Questions and answers
Some commonly asked questions are addressed below by the Department.
Q. What are the criteria to qualify?
A. Participants that have submitted a Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application in 2024 are eligible to apply. To qualify for payment for PTO shaft covers, the PTO must be fitted to a PTO-powered agricultural implement under the participant’s control. Participants must submit an Expression of Interest no later than Friday, 1 November 2024.
Q. How do I know if I am accepted into the measure?
A. Once your National Farm Safety Measure 2024 expression of interest is submitted online, the status immediately updates to “submitted” which means you are accepted into the measure. Please note that a letter of acceptance into the measure does not issue.
Q. Can I purchase a PTO shaft cover before submitting an expression of interest?
A. No. Only PTO shaft covers invoiced and paid for on or after the date of submission of an expression of interest are eligible for consideration under the scheme.
Q. Can I purchase a new PTO shaft and PTO shaft cover?
A. Yes, however, only the PTO shaft cover is eligible for grant aid. The receipt must show the costs of the PTO shaft and the PTO shaft cover separately.
Q. When will payments issue?
A. Payments will be made for all eligible investments once the claim has been processed.
Q. How will I know if a PTO shaft cover is of the correct standard?
A. Only PTO shaft covers which meet the requirements of the European Standard EN 12965:2019 are eligible for payment under this measure. The CE mark must be clearly visible on the PTO shaft cover and reference to EN 12965:2019 should be contained in the EU Declaration of Conformity for the product.
The following information that must by law be marked legibly and indelibly on the PTO shaft cover includes: