The Farm Safety Partnership (FSPAC), has this month launched the latest Farm Safety Action Plan 2025-2027, aimed at significantly reducing fatalities, injuries and occupational health issues in the agricultural sector.
Over the past decade, farming has accounted for approximately 38% of all workplace fatalities in Ireland, despite representing just 11% of the working population. This new action plan sets ambitious goals to tackle persistent safety challenges in the sector while fostering a culture of safety and wellbeing among farmers and agricultural workers.
Launching the plan at the Teagasc Moorepark open day in Fermoy, Michael Healy-Rae TD, Minister of State with Responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, said that, while farming is the ‘backbone’ of our rural economy, ‘it must not come at the cost of lives or wellbeing.’
‘This new Farm Safety Action Plan is an essential step towards ensuring that every farmer, young or old, can return home safely at the end of each day.’
‘I am fully committed to supporting this ambitious plan and to building a culture of safety across the agricultural sector. Too many lives have been lost in incidents that could have been prevented. I’m calling on all farmers to think safety first. Whether it’s machinery, livestock, or children on the farm, safety must at the heart of daily work.’
Key elements of the Farm Safety Action Plan 2025–2027 include those espeically protect vulnerable groups including children, older farmers, and migrant workers. There are also drives to address deaths and injuries caused by high-hazard activities such as vehicle operation, livestock handling, and working at heights.
The FSPAC has established five dedicated working groups to address key risk areas, and the new action plan also includes innovative measures such as virtual reality training, enhanced education for children and young farmers, and practical supports for older farmers, who remain the most vulnerable demographic.
