Why is farming unlucky for some

IAgrE is supporting the 2025 Farm Safety Week taking place from 21-25 July. The week-long campaign is managed and funded by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) and this year will mark its 13th year – prompting many to ask why, despite increased awareness of the dangers and development of safety improvements – is farming still unlucky for some? 

According to Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, the charity leading the campaign: 

“Over the years we have seen the attitudes and behaviours around farm safety changing but the pace of change is slow – too slow for the families of those we have lost in the industry and too slow for the thousands of farmers suffering every day with long term ill-health or serious injuries as a result of their work.

This year’s campaign offers an opportunity for a reset in the way we approach farm safety and risk-taking. Each of us can improve how we work on the farm but we also have a responsibility not to tolerate poor safety behaviours in others. 

It’s not somebody else’s job to drive this change in culture, and we can not rely on luck when going about our daily tasks – luck has a habit of running out!” 

Farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland and Farm Safety Week will bring together over 400 farming organisations in five countries* to raise awareness, inspire change and encourage everyone living and working in the industry to make our farms safer places to work, to live and to visit. * England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. 

Charlie Nicklin CEO of IAgrE said:  “We are proud to support the annual Farm Safety Week campaign. It has often been said that farming is more than a job, it’s 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 poor safety record that we can’t seem to shake.” For more information on ‘Farm Safety Week’ visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow @yellowwelliesUK on X/Facebook/Instagram and use the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek