FRS Co-Op and Embrace FARM are seeking Government backing for a new Farm Family Crisis Support Scheme as part of their pre-Budget submission, proposing a €1.45m pilot programme to provide practical support to farm families following a fatality or major traumatic accident.

The organisations submitted the proposal to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine this week, with the scheme designed to bridge, what they describe as, a major gap in supports available after a tragedy on a farm.

Under the proposal, a three-year pilot beginning in 2027 would fund 10,000 hours of skilled relief farm labour annually, with support allocated to bereaved and crisis-affected farm families based on assessed need and delivered through FRS Co-Op and Embrace FARM.

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The submission argues that farming is unlike other occupations because daily farm operations cannot stop following the death or serious injury of the principal farmer.

Livestock still require feeding and milking, animal welfare obligations remain in place and seasonal work often cannot be postponed during funerals, inquests or probate proceedings.

According to the organisations, the scheme could be funded through the Department's existing farm safety, health and wellbeing allocation without requiring primary legislation, allowing it to become operational during 2027, if approved.

Statistics

The proposal comes against the backdrop of persistently high fatality rates in agriculture.

Farm workplace fatalities ranged between 10 and 23 annually from 2020 to 2025, with a provisional figure of 23 fatalities recorded in 2025, accounting for around 40% of all work-related deaths in Ireland.

The submission also points to Teagasc research estimating 4,523 farm accidents occur each year, with almost one in five resulting in an absence from work of more than 61 days.

Separately, almost four in 10 farmers report having no replacement labour available if they become unable to work, highlighting the vulnerability of many family-run farm businesses.

'Critical gap'

FRS Co-Op head of agriculture Neil Keane said Ireland had invested significantly in preventing farm accidents but had failed to support families immediately afterwards.

"Agriculture remains the most dangerous sector in which to work in Ireland, and it carries a burden of death and serious injury out of all proportion to its share of employment," he said.

Embrace FARM business development manager Catherine Kenneally said the proposed scheme would help prevent families from facing additional pressures during bereavement.

"No farm family should be forced into financial hardship, rushed succession decisions or the loss of a viable farm business because practical support was unavailable following tragedy.”

Kenneally said owner-managed farms often depend on a single decision-maker and cannot simply suspend operations, making replacement labour a critical support during a crisis.

If approved as part of Budget 2027, the pilot scheme would provide practical on-farm assistance while families navigate bereavement and other immediate challenges following a fatality or serious accident.