Researchers, farmers, advisors and EU policymakers will gather later this year for a conference on farm safety.

Hosted by Teagasc at its Ashtown Research Centre from November 3-5, 2026, the event aims to tackle one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: making farming a safer, healthier and more attractive way of life.

The conference, ‘The Attractiveness of Farming: Working Conditions, Safety, Wellbeing and the Future of Farming in the EU’, is being held in association with Ireland’s EU presidency.

Farm safety

On Irish farms last year, 23 people lost their lives, representing 40% of all workplace deaths in Ireland, from a sector employing just 4% of the workforce.

Across Europe, farming remains one of the most hazardous occupations, while fewer young people are entering the sector and many farms struggle to attract workers, Teagasc said.

Farm safety has been identified by farmers themselves as a priority for Ireland’s EU Presidency, Teagasc said.

It said that a survey conducted at the National Ploughing Championships found that improving farm safety and wellbeing was among the issues farmers most wanted the presidency to address.

Teagasc and the SafeHabitus research project are working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to "ensure the conference contributes meaningfully" to Ireland’s EU presidency agenda.

Realities of farm work

Focusing on working conditions and job quality, the conference will examine the day-to-day realities of farm work, including health and safety, mental health and wellbeing, work-life balance, and the role of women and young people in farming.

Over three days, researchers, policymakers, farm advisors and practitioners from across Europe and beyond will present findings and discuss what needs to change.

The first day will focus on the big picture, with contributions from senior EU policymakers including a delegation from the European Economic and Social Committee, chaired by its president, Séamus Boland, and representatives from the European Commission.

Days two and three will move into focused sessions on specific research themes, including farmer health and wellbeing, and farm safety.

The conference will also host the SafeHabitus Film Awards, a celebration of films and digital storytelling created with and by farming communities across Europe.

Teagasc said the awards recognise the power of the arts to capture the practical challenges and lived realities of farm work including the risks, the pressures, and the resilience, while also showing why farming remains a challenging but fulfilling career.

The winning entries will be screened at an awards ceremony on the evening of Tuesday, November 3.

Policy

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, welcomes the conference discussing the conclusions of the SafeHabitus project.

"By examining the risks and occupational stressors farmers face, the SafeHabitus project makes a vital contribution to how a culture of farm safety can be supported and sustained across the EU," Minister Heydon said.

"My department is already working to shift the mindset around farm safety, health, and wellbeing by providing targeted investment in farm safety through national and EU schemes while also promoting improvements in farmer health and wellbeing.

"During Ireland’s EU presidency, I will promote the vital importance of farmer safety, health and wellbeing in European agricultural policy."

Livelihood

Head of the Teagasc agri-food business and spatial analysis department and SafeHabitus project coordinator, Dr. David Meredith said the "evidence that we have generated over the past four years is clear".

“The future of family farming depends on making it a livelihood that people want to enter, build a life in, and pass on to the next generation," he said.

"This conference highlights the factors that directly support the attractiveness of farming as a job and livelihood and will improve understanding of what we need to do to secure and improve the future of the sector for those working in it."

Attendance at the conference is free of charge and open to all, with registration available online.