A roundup of today's other regional news in brief
Greater numbers of fatalities on farms this year
Farm deaths so far this year have equalled the total number of fatalities (11) on farms in all of 2009 and they are involving more farmers under 65.
Teagasc health and safety officer John McNamara told a conference in Kilkenny that just 12 per cent of the victims since 2008 were over 65 years old compared to 41 per cent for the previous seven-year period.
He called for the “utmost attention” to be given to farm safety and health.
Croagh Patrick parking charges
Car-parking charges are being introduced at Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo for the first time, Mayo County Council has confirmed.
The council said the charges at Murrisk car park, which had undergone a major refurbishment costing €150,000, were “nominal for the times we live in” and “hardly penitential”.
The charges are due to be in force within a month, well ahead of the annual pilgrimage on the last Sunday of July, which attracts tens of thousands of people.
Limerick retail park a ‘white elephant’
The owners of a €150 million retail park on the outskirts of Limerick city have admitted that their development is a “white elephant”.
In a submission to the Mid- West Regional Authority on new regional planning guidelines, Chieftain Construction has conceded its Coonagh Cross retail park is “dying a death”.
The first phase of the 42-acre park was opened in 2008 and Tesco remains the sole anchor tenant. Chieftain Construction blamed the situation on its failure to get planning permission for an extension.
€3.8m aid package for horticulture
A GRANT aid package of €3.8 million for the horticulture sector will help fund on-farm investments of €9.6 million, Minister of State for Agriculture Ciarán Cuffe said yesterday.
The grants which are part of the National Development Plan (2007-2013), will be paid to 107 horticultural producers for capital investment in new facilities provided for in the package.
The aid will go to mushroom, protected and nursery crops, field vegetable, soft fruit, apples and beekeeping producers.