A new farm safety campaign aimed at reducing the number of work-related deaths and injuries among older farmers has been launched in Northern Ireland.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Farm Safety Partnership have announced the advertising campaign.
‘Farm Wiser to Farm Longer’ aims to get farmers to realise that as they get older, their experience and knowledge increases – but sadly, so do the risks.
Health and wellbeing
Speaking about the launch of the campaign, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “Our farming community is built on years of experience, commitment and hard work.
“However, the statistics clearly show that older farmers are more likely to be killed or injured and those who are injured take longer to recover. In fact, some may never farm again.
“This campaign is not about asking farmers to stop doing what they love – it’s about supporting them to make changes to protect their health and wellbeing as well as supporting the family farm.
“We want to encourage older farmers to pause, assess risk, and adapt how certain tasks are carried out.
“The message is simple: farm wiser to stay in farming for longer.”
Risks being misjudged
Bryan Monson, deputy chief executive of the HSENI explained that many serious accidents happen during familiar, everyday jobs where experience can mean risks are being misjudged.
“Sadly, from 2014 to 2024, some 40 older farmers have died and many more have been seriously injured in farm-related accidents – many of them preventable,” Monson said.
“This new campaign is here to help farmers protect their health, avoid preventable accidents and stay active on the land for many more years.
“We know for older farmers it’s not just a job; it’s a way of life – but it is a physically demanding and unpredictable working environment.”
He said that as well as the normal risks of working with farming machinery and vehicles, working at heights and with livestock, as people get older, balance, strength and reaction times can change.
“This means that tasks that once felt routine can become much more dangerous,” he continued.
The campaign encourages farmers to “take a moment to stop and think” before doing high-risk jobs, and to ask themselves two simple questions.
These are:
- Am I putting myself at risk?
- What can I change to make it safer?
The campaign, which is being funded by DAERA, focuses on the three key areas of farm vehicles and machinery, working with livestock and working at heights.
Health considerations
Harry Sinclair, chair of the Farm Safety Partnership, said health considerations are also a core part of the campaign.
“As we get older, changes in health, strength and mobility can increase the risk of accidents,” he said.
“Injuries also take longer to recover from and can stop you farming altogether.
“So we are encouraging farmers to have regular checks for eyesight, hearing and blood pressure, as undiagnosed health conditions can significantly increase accident risk.”
He said that adapting how farmers work “does not mean giving up farming”.
“Many older farmers lead by example, using safer equipment, avoiding unnecessary risks, pacing their workload, asking for help, making sure they carry a mobile phone and letting someone know where they are when working alone,” he added.
“We believe the campaign builds on that good practice and shows that safety is a sign of good farming, not weakness.”
