Farm Safety Week 2026 – Time for Action, Safety Begins With You
Farm Safety Week begins tomorrow, Monday, July 20th, and IFA is encouraging farmers and farming families across the country to make safety a priority.
The campaign is led by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) and supported by the IFA in Ireland. Now in its 14th year, Farm Safety Week has grown into one of the farming sector’s largest safety awareness campaigns and is backed by more than 500 partner organisations across the UK and Ireland.
The campaign was officially launched by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Farm Safety, Niall Collins TD, IFA President Francie Gorman and IFA Farm Family & Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche at the recent Teagasc Beef Open Day.
Minister Niall Collins TD said: “I welcome this important farm safety awareness campaign which provides an important opportunity to remind farmers of the ever-present risks on farms and especially during the busy summer months. I congratulate the Irish Farmers’ Association and all the other organisations involved in this initiative for their efforts to eliminate poor practices and improve safety on our farms.”
IFA President Francie Gorman said Farm Safety Week serves as an important reminder that every farmer has a role to play in creating a safer working environment.
“No job on the farm is worth a life. As farmers, we face unique risks every day, but we also have the power to make safer choices.”
“This week, I urge every farming family to stop, think and take action to prevent accidents. Let’s protect ourselves, our loved ones and our future,” Francie Gorman said.
Appealing directly to farmers, Minister Collins added: “Sometimes, there is a very small margin between a close call and a serious or fatal injury. I am asking farmers to always put safety first; your livelihood, your safety and that of your family, depends on you avoiding taking risks. Never take shortcuts or depend on luck when it comes to farm safety”.
“There is no room for complacency; risk-taking must have no place on the farm. By taking a few simple, often inexpensive steps, farmers can make their farms a much safer place to work or to visit.”
IFA Farm Family & Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche said the number of farm accidents and fatalities remains far too high.
“The rate of farm accidents and fatalities is still far too high. It’s a painful reality that too many families in rural Ireland have faced.”
“Farm Safety Week is a chance for all of us to take stock, change habits and put safety at the heart of everything we do. One accident is one too many,” Teresa Roche said.
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), said: “When we talk about farm safety, fatalities understandably dominate the conversation, but serious injuries can be just as life changing. We must take injuries just as seriously as fatalities and recognise that preventing harm, not just death, has to be our goal”.
Colin Heaney, Farm Safety & Risk Surveyor said “As an insurer founded by farmers for farmers, farm safety has always been close to our hearts. We know the pressures that come with farm life and how easy it can be to focus on the next job. Farm Safety Week is an opportunity for all of us to pause, take stock and remember that no task is more important than getting home safely at the end of the day. A few extra moments spent planning a job or assessing a risk can make all the difference”.
Farm Safety Week reminds everyone involved in farming that while risks cannot be eliminated entirely, many incidents can be prevented through planning, awareness and adopting safe working practices. Taking a few extra moments to assess a task before starting could prevent an accident that changes lives forever.
