As the 13th annual Farm Safety Week campaign begins, Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation explores why, 13 years on, farming is still unlucky for some…
STEPHANIE BERKELEY, Manager, Farm Safety Foundation
Monday 21st July 2025: As we mark the beginning of our 13th annual Farm Safety Week, it is sobering to reflect that, over these years, an average of 31 lives have been lost on our farms each year – 27 of them farm workers and four members of the public, including children.
In 2024/25 alone, 23 farm workers and four members of the public including two children lost their lives on farms across Great Britain – a grim reminder of the sector’s persistently poor safety record. The situation is no better in Northern Ireland, where five agricultural workers were killed over the same period, according to the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).
Farm safety knows no borders. That is why, once again, we unite voices from across the UK and Ireland to shine a light on this vital issue. This year, however, marks a significant step forward as we extend our reach to the Southern Hemisphere, joining forces with our counterparts at Farmsafe Australia. Together, we will share stories, exchange lessons, and issue a joint call for simple, life-saving changes.
There are, at last, signs of progress. While agriculture has long been associated with high rates of injury and ill health, the HSE’s recent figures suggest that our efforts to improve safety are beginning to bear fruit. Over the past 13 years, an average of 27 farm workers have lost their lives annually. This year, 23 farm workers suffered fatal injuries – a decline, albeit a modest one.
The broader picture also offers cautious encouragement. Historically, the sector has seen over 23,000 cases of long-term ill health and serious injury each year. That number has now fallen to 18,000. Meanwhile, NFU Mutual reports a drop in farm accident claims, from 937 in 2023/24 to 894 in 2024/25.
These are not dramatic shifts, but they are meaningful. They suggest that awareness campaigns, safety initiatives, and a growing culture of care may finally be making a difference. The road ahead remains long, but the direction of travel is, at last, a hopeful one.
Now that we are on this journey, it is vital to confront a difficult truth: risk-taking and complacency remain deeply embedded in the culture of farming.
In our latest annual tracker survey of more than 750 UK farmers, 81% identified ‘complacency’ – doing things the way they’ve always been done – as a key factor in farm accidents. A further 82% pointed to ‘attitude as the primary contributor.
“I’ve always done it that way.” It’s a phrase we hear far too often. Confidence built over years on the land is, of course, a strength. But it can also become a blind spot. When familiarity breeds carelessness, when the dangers of machinery, livestock, and routine are underestimated, tragedy can follow. Experience should be a guide to caution, not a licence to ignore it.
Commenting on the charity’s research, Wayne Owen, HM Inspector of Health and Safety (Agriculture) explained: “Farming is an extremely important but difficult and challenging job. This general complacency towards tasks, and a poor attitude towards keeping people safe and healthy has to change. The responsibility for that change rests with the industry itself.
I would urge farmers to put the health and safety of themselves and others at the heart of what they do.
He added: “The fact that children continue to be killed on Britain’s farms is also a source of tragedy and sadness and is totally unacceptable. We will keep working with vital partners such as the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) and support initiatives such as Farm Safety Week, however each farm and each industry leader has a part to play in driving the much-needed cultural change in farming.”
This is the 13th year of Farm Safety Week. Thirteen years of stories. Thirteen years of heartbreak. Thirteen years of lives changed forever.
And still, too many rely on luck to get home safely. Luck is not a strategy. It is not a plan. And it is not enough.
So here is my appeal… to everyone who lives and works in this industry: pause and reflect. Look at your daily routine, your equipment, your mindset. Ask yourself: What can I do today to make my farm safer? For yourself. For your family. For those who work alongside you.
Change does not come overnight. It begins with a single decision, a single action, a single conversation. We owe it to the 27 people we lost over the past year. We owe it to those still living with the consequences. And we owe it to the next generation of farmers across the UK, Ireland and beyond.
Please support Farm Safety Week by following us @yellowwelliesUK on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, or by using the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek.
