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Farmers and contractors have been warned to ensure brakes, lights and beacons are fully working on all machinery and tractors this summer.
As silage season approaches, the volume of machinery travelling on the roads is set to increase.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at a farm security day in Ballymahon Mart Co Longford, Garda Enda Kane from the Roads Policing Unit said farmers often fall down on the maintenance of equipment.
“You don’t need to worry about retrofitting. Trailers are usually up to spec and 100% with road traffic legislation. The issue is the maintenance of the trailer, same with the tractor,” Kane said. He reminded farmers that, for safety reasons, tractors must have flashing beacons to operate on a road.
Farmers exceeding a jeep’s towing capacity, lights not working and no secondary coupling were the most common issues encountered every summer, according to Kane.
He urged other roads users to be considerate of machinery as tractors were as entitled to the road as anyone else.
He advised farmers to pull in at a safe and convenient place if there was a large buildup of traffic behind them.
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