16/05/2011

A new industry campaign designed to help make farms safer will be officially launched at this year’s Grasslands and Muck event, held on the 18th and 19th May in Warwickshire. Farming organisations, including the NFU, have joined forces to raise awareness of the dangers faced when working in the agricultural sector and to provide practical advice, training and guidance on how farms can be made safer.

The launch of the Farm Safety Charter follows last year’s industry summit which aimed to find tangible ways of improving farm safety and reducing deaths and injuries. In 2010, agriculture became, statistically, the most dangerous industry in the country. 455 people have died on British farms in the past decade - that equates to almost one death every week.

NFU President Peter Kendall said: “455 deaths on British farms should shock everybody involved in farming. We know this is an unpredictable job and we have to cope with long hours, difficult working conditions and often working alone, but as an industry we must work together to raise awareness and drive these figures down. That's why this Charter is so important. Last year’s summit gave us the chance to build a coalition with full commitment from all the parties involved and we have now agreed to take positive steps to make a real difference to farm safety.

“The NFU is determined to provide leadership by recognising its responsibilities to promote safe systems of work within all sectors of the industry. We now need to build on the good work that has already been done by the HSE to change our culture, attitude and behaviour towards farm safety. We must demonstrate that a good safety record is proof of a professional, modern industry. Safe working is good business practice.”