This year marks the 10th annual Farm Safety week in Ireland and the UK. Over the past 10 years, the IFA has led the campaign in Ireland in an effort to promote farm safety and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities on Irish farms.

Unfortunately, while we have seen some improvements in the last decade, the statistics still show that agriculture is one of the most dangerous sectors to work in and accounts for 42% of work-related fatalities. Last year 10 people lost their lives in farm accidents and 5 people have lost their lives to date in 2022.

The theme of this year’s Farm Safety Week is “Let’s make a change. Now”. Immediate change is needed on farm safety and now is the time to take action. Research has shown that the month of July is the most dangerous time of the year for farm fatalities. During farm safety week and going forward I would ask farmers to think about the risks on their farms and identify changes that they can make to make farming safer for themselves and their families.