Farmers4Safety – Managing Risk Together European Innovation Partnership (EIP)-AGRI Project and Muintir Na Tíre are partnering for this year’s National and World Ploughing Championships to help raise awareness of farm safety, health and well-being.
Discussions on all things farm safety, health and well-being will take place at Muintir Na Tíre’s community stand at the Ploughing, which runs from September 20-22.
The partnering conversations aim to assist, engage and signpost farming communities to the various services and supports that they may be in need of, and to highlight the essential role Farmers4Safety and Muintir Na Tíre play in supporting and developing farming communities.
Who?
Farmers4Safety – Managing Risk Together EIP AGRI project adopts a peer-to-peer mentoring approach. It investigates farmers’ and farm families’ behaviours and attitudes towards farm safety, health and well-being.
“It also changes the norm around farm safety and emotional well-being so it becomes a normal and sustained part of farming culture in Ireland while making the sector safer for those who live and work on and visit farms,” said project manager Niamh Nolan.
“By utilising a peer-to-peer mentoring approach, it will effectively engage farmers on the ground and be the catalyst to change the social norms surrounding farm safety, health and well-being.”
Muintir Na Tíre is a national voluntary organisation dedicated to promoting the process of community development.
It works to enhance the capabilities of people in communities, rural and urban, to become involved in local social, economic, cultural and environmental development.
Representing and supporting local communities’ interests, it identifies their problems while supporting, informing and influencing government policy.
“Muintir Na Tíre’s core principles of neighbourliness, self-help and self-reliance have effectively engaged with communities on the ground while allowing for active participation in developing their regions,” said Niamh.
“Extreme pressures within the agriculture sector have led to farmers experiencing stress, anxiety, fatigue and financial pressures, and this in turn can lead to an incident or fatality occurring.
“It is important they are knowledgeable of the supports and services that is available to them.
“By Farmers4Safety and Muintir Na Tíre networking together, it is hoped it will influence and raise awareness of safety, health and well-being in farming communities and communities across the country,” Niamh said.
“There are extreme pressures on farmers and farm families in order to keep up with the pace of farming and in turn may result into farmers or farm families risking their own safety, health and well-being in order to complete jobs.
“At this year’s Ploughing Championships we hope to highlight and raise awareness with Muintir Na Tíre of the different support mechanisms available to the farming communities and the importance of farm safety, health and well-being when carrying out jobs on the farm,” the project officer said.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said that the National Ploughing Championships provide the perfect opportunity for farmers to take a break from the farm after a busy summer period. He encouraged farm families to avail of the partnering.
“A healthy work-life balance helps promote good physical and mental well-being which is inextricably linked to farm safety and a productive farm,” he said.
“I would urge all farmers and their families to take the opportunity to visit Farmers4Safety and Muintir Na Tíre at this year’s event and avail of their expertise.”