The majority of farmers don’t see the threats to their own safety or the safety of others on their farms, leading them to believe that accidents will happen to others and on other farms rather than their own.
That’s the feedback from some of the mentors taking part in the Farmers4Safety – Managing Risk Together EIP-AGRI project, which recently held a talk on a farm in Ballynoe, Co. Cork, on threats to farm safety, health and wellbeing.
Farmers4Safety – Managing Risk Together EIP AGRI project, adopts a peer-to-peer mentoring approach that investigates farmers, and farm families’ behaviours and attitudes towards farm safety, health and wellbeing.
The initiative aims to change the norm around farm safety and emotional wellbeing so it becomes a normal and sustained part of farming culture in Ireland, while making the sector safer for those who live on, work on and visit farms.
By utilising a peer-to-peer mentoring approach, it is envisaged that it will effectively engage farmers on the ground and be the catalyst to change the social norms surrounding farm safety, health and wellbeing.
Feedback
Feedback from the mentors is that the project is a valuable initiative to discuss and help farmers on the threats to safety and wellbeing. They reported that it has worked very well on a one-to-one basis with farmers, as they are more willing to discuss the subject individually rather than in a group environment, especially when it comes to mental wellbeing.
Irish Rural Link (IRL), in partnership with the BRIDE (Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment) project; the Duncannon Blue Flag Farming & Communities Scheme; the New Futures Farming Group; and the Health and Safety Authority, is carrying out this piloted project in its catchment areas.
“Every year there are too many avoidable fatalities and accidents occurring on farms across the country, leaving families devastated and without livelihoods,” said Niamh Nolan, project manager.
“We hope that our peer-to-peer mentoring will help reduce these numbers and ensure that the family farm can become a safer place to work, live and visit.
“There are extreme pressures on farmers and farm families in order to keep up with the pace of farming and in turn they may result in farmers or farm families risking their own safety, health and wellbeing in order to complete jobs,” she said.
“This farm safety EIP AGRI project indicates the importance of farmers looking after their own health and wellbeing and ensuring they are not risking their safety in carrying out jobs on the farm.”
Highlighting threats
Seamus Boland, CEO of IRL, said that farm safety continues to be a real issue on many family farms across the country.
“Talks like this one held in Cork are so important to highlight the threats that are on the farm and to make farmers and their families more aware and be conscious of the dangers the face in their work on a daily basis,” he said.
“We need to keep the conversation going on farm safety to reduce the number of farm accidents and fatalities.”
Farmers4Safety – Managing Risk Together EIP AGRI Project will positively impact farm families by adopting actions that will prevent ill health, loss of life and injuries on farms, the CEO said.
“It will also highlight a change in attitudes of partners and those who visit the farm, for example, vets, scanners, advisors, AI (artificial insemination) technicians etc. by altering their behaviour towards farm safety, health and wellbeing,” he added.
“We hope that these changes in attitudes and behaviours will influence this generation of farmers and the next by embedding farm safety and emotional wellbeing within their daily routine on the farm,” Seamus said.
The project is set to end in November. To date, 117 people have participated in the project’s WhatsApp chats; 152 farmers/farm families have completed the survey; 52 partners; and 28 service providers.
The initiative has engaged with 886 farmers and it is hoped that the project will be rolled out nationally.