Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland supports The Farm Safety Foundation in 2025 Farm Safety Week
Date published:
On the opening day of Farm Safety Week (21-25 July), the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), as a member of the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP), has given its full support to the Farm Safety Foundation (FSF) in its efforts to change farming’s poor safety record.
In this, the thirteenth year of Farm Safety Week, the message to the farming community has always been consistent: take extra care when working with animals, machinery, and moving vehicles - key contributors to the majority of fatal injuries on farms.
Speaking at the launch of Farm Safety Week, Robert Kidd, Chief Executive of HSENI said: “Farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any industry in the UK and Ireland, but we have made significant strides in raising awareness and encouraging safer practices, particularly among the younger generation, nevertheless, in this thirteenth year of our Farm Safety campaign, we’ll shine a light on less obvious, but equally critical, issues affecting the safety and wellbeing of those who live and work on farms.
“HSENI are proud to support the annual Farm Safety Week campaign, farming is more than a job, it is a way of life so keeping it safe is a responsibility we all share. Whether new to the industry or farming for years, we all have a role to play in improving the safety record within the farming community. There is no acceptable level of serious injuries or fatalities in farming, as each incident affects a family, a farm business and a local community.
“Also, as part of the new HSENI Occupational Health campaign, we will be highlighting key areas of concern in farming such as agricultural dust, skin cancer through over exposure to UV rays, and Musculoskeletal Disorders, all of which can have a devastating effect on farming life and can lead to fatalities.”
Farmers, workers and farming families need to prioritise looking after their own health, safety and wellbeing to be fit and continue being involved in participating in the farm business.
This year’s Farm Safety Foundation objectives are:
- to continue challenging and changing the attitudes to risk-taking and working safely
- share evidence and real experiences of the past 13 years to remind audiences to take positive steps to improve their attitudes and behaviours
- to highlight the importance of wearing PPE, especially eye protection, when carrying out a variety of farming tasks
- to highlight the critical importance of safe operation of agricultural vehicles and, in particular, quad bikes
- to celebrate the Farm Safety Heroes from each of our partner countries working to drive a positive change in the industry
Further information on farm safety can be found at the following link:
Further information on the Workplace Occupational Health campaign can be found at:
Notes to editors :
- The Farm Safety Partnership comprises the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), NFU Mutual (NFUM), the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU), The Farm Safety Foundation (FSF), the Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA) and Rural Support. It is tasked with assisting Northern Ireland’s farming community to work safely and tackle the problem of work-related fatalities and injuries on farms.
- The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Department for the Economy (DfE).
- HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland.
- For media enquiries please contact HSENI Press Office on 028 9024 3249 or email media@hseni.gov.uk. For out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.