Ulster Unionist MLA Jo-Anne Dobson has said she wants to see a ‘sea change’ in the Health Ministers attitude to training Fire and Rescue personnel in the skills needed to rescue large animals on farms.
The Upper Bann MLA has revealed that funding has decreased by a fifth over the last three years and the number of personnel receiving the training has also decreased in the same time period.
Mrs Dobson, who tabled a number of Assembly Questions to the Health Minister following a recent Farm Safety event at Stormont said:
“I am extremely supportive of the Fire and Rescue service Large Animal Rescue Squad. I met the guys from the Newcastle squad at their station last year - they are the true farm rescue heroes.
“We all know that farming is an extremely rewarding job, but we must never ever forget just how dangerous it can be. That’s why having the reassurance that a professionally trained team can help when animals get into danger is so important – otherwise farmers may place their own lives at risk.
"I am bitterly disappointed to see that in the written answers to me the Health Minister confirms a fall in both the funding allocated to Large Animal Rescue training as well as the number of personnel who receive this training. “I want to see funding increasing for farm safety, not decreasing and have written again to the Minster urging action.
“At a time when Senior Fire Service officials are confirming to me that they are seeing a real change in attitudes amongst farming families towards reporting accidents, the last thing we want to see is reductions in the number of personnel trained to deal with farming accidents.”