‘Farm Safe Schools’ to kickstart farm safety conversations in classrooms
Agri Aware, AgriKids and the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) supported by FBD Trust, have teamed up to bring the Farm Safe Schools pilot programme to Irish classrooms.
The first collaborative of its kind, the pilot programme aims to engage, educate and empower Irish children to become farm safety ambassadors and in doing so, help create a safer, brighter future on Irish farms.
According to the Health and Safety Authority, 23 children have died on Irish farms over the last decade as a result of farm accidents. The Farm Safe Schools team are calling on Irish primary school teachers to sign up to this innovative programme, which will provide children with key knowledge and skills that could save lives and kick start conversations within classrooms and Irish homes nationwide.
The interactive educational programme is designed to assist teachers in educating their students about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture, and is part of a national strategy, aimed at reducing the number of accidents on farms and in the countryside.
The modules focus on the main farm hazards most pertinent to children including farmer and field safety, animal safety and machinery safety. There is also an opportunity to win prizes and to become recognised nationally that you are making a positive contribution towards farm safety in the wider, rural community.
Agri Aware chairman Alan Jagoe, who is a dairy and tillage farmer from county Cork, said that as a farmer himself with three young daughters, he knows how important farm safety is on Irish family farms.
“Farm accidents have a devastating impact on Irish families and their livelihoods each year,” he said, as he asked teachers nationwide to sign their classes up to this programme
Alma Jordan, who set up Ireland’s leading farm safety platform, AgriKids in 2015, added that she feels the collaboration will
lead to kick-starting conversations on farm safety both in the classroom and in households across Ireland and help create a positive culture around farm safety nationwide.
IFA President Tim Cullinan also said the new initiative will be an important part of raising awareness around farm safety, stressing that the school setting – whether in the classroom or remotely – is an excellent approach to reinforce an essential message.
Stating that FBD Trust is proud to support the pilot programme, FBD’s Chief Commercial Officer John Cahalan said that FBD Insurance welcomes any opportunity to promote safe farm practices.
“We are proud to support this fantastic safety initiative which aims to engage children at a young age, to teach them essential farm safety practises that will serve them well throughout their lives and to empower them to become farm safety champions.”
Interested teachers can visit www. farmsafeschools.ie and register their school now!