Safety campaign event focuses on farmers’ wellbeing
A MONTH-LONG health and safety campaign run by the Future Farmers of Yorkshire will culminate next week with a special event featuring a stellar line-up of industry experts.
The social media-led Fit2Farm campaign which is focused on the importance of physical and mental fitness and farm safety, has seen farmers share their real-life experiences.
Future Farmers board member Neil Eastham, who will chair the event at Pavilions of Harrogate on
Wednesday, said: “Through their own experiences, our speakers will remind each and every one of us that if your mind and body are not as well-maintained as your machinery, then it is very easy to become less conscious of the dangers around you.”
Figures from the Health and Safety Executive show that 39 people died as a result of farming or other agricultural related activities in Britain in 2018/19. Fatalities involving cattle were second only to deaths from overturning vehicles or being struck by moving vehicles.
“Future Farmers is a group of progressive farmers and industry professionals who are determined to play their part in helping the industry improve its safety record by highlighting what farmers can do to reduce their risks of injury,” Mr Eastham said.
“That is why we have been running our #Fit2Farm Campaign and this message will be starkly and powerfully delivered to a packed audience of farmers and industry professionals at next week’s event.”
Mr Eastham, who is a dairy farmer’s son, a Nuffield Scholar and a full-time vet and partner at Bishopton Veterinary Group, added: “Ensuring that we are fit to farm is an absolute necessity. We not only owe it ourselves, but to future generations in setting the best possible examples for them to follow.”
Speakers will include the NFU’s Vice President, Stuart Roberts,
consultant psychologist Dr Caroline Knott and host of the Rock & Roll Farming podcast, Welsh farmer Will Evans. Future Farmers of Yorkshire is part of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and brings together younger farmers, vets and industry supporters.
To book a free place at the event, which runs from 6.45pm to 9.45pm, visit http://bit.ly/Fit2Farm. To find out more about the Fit2Farm campaign, go to yas. co.uk/fit2farm