I want to see every opportunity and every avenue used to raise greater awareness of the risks on farms to help reduce the number of incidents, injuries, and fatalities.

So, as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with responsibility for farm safety, I am delighted to see the commencement of this new ‘digital only’, farm-safety-awareness initiative. This is a joint partnership between the DAFM, Axa, and Agriland Media Group.

The aim of this initiative is to remind farmers, on a regular basis, about the particular risks that they face throughout the year, and encourage them to take an extra few minutes to think about farm safety.

Our goal is to ensure that farmers remain safe and keep their loved ones safe.

It is important that we all regularly challenge our own behaviour, and ask if there are ways to reduce the risks associated with the tasks we carry out on our farms to minimise the chance of having a serious incident.

Kilkenny farmer, Jim Mulhall

It is only by changing our habits that the rate of serious and fatal incidents will be reduced. The fewer risks we take, the lower the chances of having a serious or fatal incident.

Farm-safety initiative

This initiative will involve year-round, farm-safety messaging across Agriland Media‘s platforms, drawing attention to key areas on-farm that require additional caution at various times of the year.

Content will include on-farm videos and articles providing tips and advice on safe systems of work and on how to protect you, your families, and staff in a busy farm environment.

Farm safety at calving time

The focus this month is on the risks around cows calving.

Incidents involving cows with calves are, unfortunately, the leading category of fatal incidents involving livestock.

In some ways, this should not surprise us, as cows will, naturally, be anxious at calving time and will defend their calves.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has recently completed a two-week focus on safety around calving through a series of farm visits.

farm safety

It is important that farmers take on board the recommendations given by the HSA to minimise risk and enhance farm safety.

Furthermore, incidents involving livestock account for the greatest number of non-fatal, serious incidents on farms.

I want to ask farmers to take care during the calving season.

Try to get as much rest as possible, although I know this can be difficult due to the pressure of calving. Tiredness is a significant factor in farm incidents. It means you are less likely to notice the warning signs that are present, and may be slower to react.

The difference between nearly having an incident and being seriously injured can be a matter of only a split second.

While the number of fatal incidents in 2021 was down on previous years, it still left 10 families devastated by the loss of a loved one.

While the fatal incidents make the headlines, it should be remembered that each year there are thousands of farmers seriously injured, with many of the incidents being life-changing.

Let’s do everything we can to change that.