Mayo farmer announced as farm safety community champion

A Mayo man has been named as a farm safety community champion in a campaign aiming to combat labour and isolation issues on farms around the county.

Robert Lally, who is a farmer within the county, has been awarded the title as part of the campaign, which is being run by Irish Rural Link and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Matins.

In total, five community champions will travel around the country in a bid to connect farmers to their communities, as well as delivering farm safety and wellbeing talks.

Robert has experience across multiple fields in the industry, including farm management and food production. He is also the Vice-President of Mayo Macra na Feirme, and holds a position on the National Agricultural Affairs Committee.

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Seamus Boland, the CEO of Irish Rural Link, welcomed the initiative.

“The need for community has never been so important for farmers," he stated. "With fluctuations in the market, inconsistent weather, and growing isolation, having the Farm Safety Community Champions will help build out our farming networks for a more connected rural society.

We hope to see local communities take this as an opportunity to support, strengthen, and sustain relationships with and between farmers for a more inclusive future."