As the Scottish schools begin to break up for the summer, NFU Scotland is reminding farmers and crofters of the dangers when allowing children onto and around farmland.

The warning comes ahead of Farm Safety Week, which takes place from 16-20 July, when farmers, crofters, their families and their staff will be urged to improve the farm safety figures in Scotland.

The Union, working in conjunction with Farm Safety Partnership Scotland, will be issuing case studies throughout Farm Safety Week of farmers in industry as well as agricultural based organisations who specialise in specific areas of farm safety, highlighting different incidence of good and bad practice.

Farm Safety Week will focus on the strapline “Your Health. Your Safety. Your Choice.”

Highlighting the importance of farm safety

An accident on a farm can be life changing, both for those involved and their family. It is even more devastating when it involves children, which is why the Union is urging farmers and crofters this summer to be extra vigilant and take every precaution to make their farms and crofts safer for children. We all know how fantastic it can be to grow up on a farm, however, with the tragic death of several children on Scotland’s farms in recent years, the industry needs to take action to stop further deaths and injury.

Farm Safety Partnership Scotland – a collaboration between NFU Scotland, Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Government and NFU Mutual – is working to significantly reduce the tragic toll on Scotland’s farms and crofts each year.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said: “Any death or injury on a farm is one too many, especially when it involves a child. We need to work together, as an industry, to make sure that we are constantly improving the safety on farms.

“It is so important that farmers and crofters are constantly looking at their farms and crofts and thinking about how they can improve the safety, for themselves, their family, their workforce and any possible visitors.

“As someone who raised children on a farm I can say from experience that I believe there is no better place to have a childhood.

“Which is why we need to ensure that these environments are as safe as they possibly can be.

“During the school holidays I urge farmers and crofters to be vigilant of children playing on their farms and to amend any safety issues which may need addressed.”

Hedge cutting rule

NFU Scotland has welcomed an amendment to the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) rule to allow for hedge cutting to take place prior to the sowing of oilseed rape and grass during the month of August. The Union has continuously asked the Scottish Government to consider this amendment which will prevent valuable crops from being damaged by wheels from machinery or vehicles during hedge cutting after the crop has been sown.

CO2 shortage

Andrew McCornick, NFU Scotland president, has written to Secretary of State, Greg Clark, asking that the pig and poultry processors be given priority ahead of other industries when distributing the short supply of CO2 gas. The pig and poultry industries both use CO2 as the preferred method for stunning pigs and poultry at slaughter as it is the most humane method.

Recording weights for BES

Some participants of the Beef Efficiency Scheme (BES) have been issued with warning letters after failing to record weights of their calves by the time they reached 400 days-old. These participants may have already recorded weight information by the 400-day deadline in their own records but have failed to enter them in to the BES page of ScotEID. The Scottish Government are giving these participants until 19 July to update their online records.

Government meetings

NFU Scotland sat down with both the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy, Fergus Ewing and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work, Derek Mackay, in two separate meetings last week. These meetings follow on from the intense lobbying the Union has been conducting in both Westminster and Holyrood recently.