In response to the ongoing challenges faced by communities across the country, NFU Mutual has announced £3.25m of funding for local and national charities during 2024.
The leading UK rural insurer is pledging this support to help tackle the ongoing effects of the pandemic and assist with the impact of the rising cost of living.
NFU Mutual will be donating £1.92m to local front-line charities through its Agency Giving Fund. First launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic, the insurer is keeping this annual fund going into 2024 to further help local charities and communities across the UK.
Once again, NFU Mutual Agency and branch offices, covering more than 280 locations nationwide, will be invited to nominate front-line charities to receive a share of the fund. This will ensure that donations reach all corners of the UK and are directed where they are needed most.
To support national and regional charities, NFU Mutual is pledging £1m to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.
The Trust is an independent charity the insurer set up in 1998 to support other charities and organisations working in the interests of agriculture, rural communities and the countryside. Since it was founded, the Trust has distributed donations totalling more than £8.6m and made a positive difference to education, research, social welfare and poverty relief.
Alongside this, NFU Mutual has also committed £30,000 to its Community Champions scheme, to support causes close to the heart of its people, by donating to staff fundraising events and initiatives.
The £3.25m funding is completed with a £300,000 donation to the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), an independent registered charity founded and funded by NFU Mutual.
As it celebrates its tenth anniversary, the 2024 support will help the Foundation to carry on delivering their education programme, award-winning campaigns, research and engagement throughout the UK, so they can continue raising awareness of, and addressing the attitudes and behaviours around, risk-taking and poor mental health in the industry.
Nick Turner, Group Chief Executive of NFU Mutual, said:“We’re proud to be maintaining significant levels of charitable giving in 2024. We recognise these are challenging times, and our initiatives will support national and local charities right across the UK who are delivering vital services to those in need.”
The Agriculture Industry revealed to have the poorest safety record in the UK
Farm Safety Week 2021 aims to reduce the number of incidents which continue to give farming the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK & Ireland
New figures reveal that fatal injuries on UK farms have almost doubled over the past year – from 21 fatalities in 2019/20 to 41 in 2020/21
According to the Farm Safety Foundation, the charity behind the annual campaign, farmers over the age of 60 accounted for 53% of those killed
When comparing older and younger age groups the fatal injury rate is over 4 times higher for the 65s and over compared to the 16-24 age group.
7 members of the public lost their lives on GB farms in 2020/21 – 5 adults involving cattle and an additional 2 children.
In a recent survey, almost seven in ten farmers would identify tiredness as a major risk with most having taken, or seen others take, risks due to being tired
Farm Safety Week is an initiative led by the Farm Safety Foundation and supported by the Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health & Safety Executive, Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland
From the 19th – 23rd of July, the Farm Safety Foundation will hold their ninth annual Farm Safety Week, a campaign which aims to draw attention to, and reduce the injury risk farmers across the UK face on a daily basis.
With long hours, intense physical labour, low pay and at the mercy of the elements, farming is a difficult industry to work in, but still, nearly half a million workers are choosing to be farmers today.
Yet, for a workforce that accounts for a mere 1% of GB’s working population, the industry accounts for nearly a quarter of all workplace fatal injuries, giving it the poorest safety record of any occupation (almost 20 times higher than the GB industry average).
The picture is similar in Northern Ireland where farming accounted for 5 of the 13 workplace fatalities in 2020/2021 representing 38% (HSENI) and, in the Republic of Ireland, farming accounts for 5% of the workforce but an alarming 40% of all workplace fatal incidents.
Unfortunately, farm safety is an issue rarely discussed outside of agricultural circles but, according to the UK’s leading farm safety charity, the Farm Safety Foundation, this is exactly what we should be doing.
To mark the start of the Farm Safety Foundation’s Farm Safety Week campaign, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have shared their annual Fatal Injuries in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing in GB report 2020/21 which reveals that, over the past year almost twice as many people were killed on farms in Great Britain compared to the previous year.
A total of 41 people in England, Scotland and Wales were killed in agriculture including 34 farm workers and seven members of the public. Two children have been killed by farming this year and, for an industry that still has between 1 and 2 children being killed through its activities each year, this simply MUST improve.
Now in its ninth year, Farm Safety Week brings together five countries over five days with ONE clear goal – to speak up for safety and encourage farmers to rethink risk so we can reduce the number of life-changing and life-ending incidents happening on our farms.
“Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and everyone involved is rightly proud of the quality and standard of the food produced.” explains Adrian Hodkinson, Acting Head of Agriculture, Health & Safety Executive. “However, this appears to come at a significant cost to many farmers and workers in terms of serious injury, lifelong ill health and in some cases death.
“The causes of farm incidents are well known and the things to stop them are usually straightforward: putting on handbrakes; fastening lap belts in cabs; getting ATV training and helmets; putting cows and calves in fields without footpaths; stopping things before trying to fix or unblock them and so on.
“When we investigate life-changing farm workplace incidents we find, time and time again, that risks are not being removed or managed. It is far too common for people to accept risk is an inevitable part of the job – this isn’t the case, the guidance is easily available to manage the risks and prevent injury”
His advice: “Think a job through and then put the right measures in place to make safer.
“It is not acceptable that agriculture continues to fail to manage risk in the workplace. We need everyone to play their part to change their own behaviours, do things the right way and ‘call out’ poor practices whenever they are seen.
“On a more positive note,” Adrian added: “I’m really encouraged that there now some very high-profile advocates for improvement who see the real benefits for attracting and retaining people and reducing costs. It’s fantastic to see a real focus on maintenance of machinery and trailers, that many ATV users are getting trained and wearing helmets, and cattle handling facilities are being improved.”
Throughout this year’s campaign, the Farm Safety Foundation, supported by the Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health & Safety Executive, Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland, will highlight the issue of risk-taking, cost-cutting and tiredness on UK and Ireland’s farms and how life-changing and life-ending incidents continue to impact families and communities. We will be meeting farmers who have experienced this first-hand and, of course, exploring what can be done to address it.
In a recent survey into farmers across the UK carried out with funder NFU Mutual, the Farm Safety Foundation found that many farmers need to be more aware of tiredness and realise how excessively long hours can play into the risks when farming. Almost seven in ten (69%) of those surveyed, identified tiredness as a major risk with most having taken, or seen others take, risks due to being tired.
Unfortunately, in farming, 15-hour days are seen as normal but, with 89% of farmers wanting advice on how to combat fatigue, the Farm Safety Foundation did a call out on social media for farmer’s top tips to dealing with tiredness which include giving up alcohol for the two weeks before any busy time like lambing or staying hydrated and grabbing 40 winks after lunch – the full list will be revealed during the week.
According to Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation manager:“Today’s HSE report is a desperately disappointing read with some very sober statistics. The fact that farming has a fatality rate almost 20 times the GB industry average is shocking and shameful.
“41 people lost their lives on our farms over the past year including 2 children – this is 18 more than the previous year and we can’t become immune to the impact that these deaths have on farming families and communities.
“We can’t just accept that farming is a dangerous occupation. We have to redouble our efforts to drive a change.
“The main causes of fatal farm incidents have not changed over the past 60 years despite legislation and an increased awareness of the importance of working safely.
“We need to reassess the risk of everyday tasks and think about the long-term consequences of each and every risk we have taken and do something to either remove it or control it. Complacency kills – many farmers think they know their farm and the risks involved in going about their daily tasks.
“However, those risks change day-to-day and next time things might not work out the same way. We want to encourage those living and working in the industry to rethink risk, to carry out risk assessments and most importantly put in controls that suit the circumstances of any busy farm.
“As an industry, we need to work together so that farm safety is acknowledged as important. We need to do more than sit around and talk about it. We need action! This is why Farm Safety Week is still so important.
“Over the past nine years, we have been very privileged to have an opportunity to bring together a wide range of organisations and individuals who really do care about the issue and want to drive safety forwards. We need to engage with farmers of all ages to challenge and change attitudes and ultimately make our farms safer places to work.”
For more information on Farm Safety Week visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow @yellowwelliesUK on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook using the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek
133 suicides were registered in Scotland, England and Wales in 2019 for those working in farming and agricultural related trades according to the Office of National Statistics.
88% of farmers under the age of 40 rank poor mental health as biggest hidden problem facing farmers today, a recent study reveals.
89% of young farmers believe that talking about mental health in farming will remove any stigma attached to it.
This year the Farm Safety Foundation’s Mind Your Head campaign will focus on prevention and early identification of risk factors associated with those living and working in the UK farming industry.
A total of 31 suicides were registered in 2019 in the agricultural industry in Scotland.
From 15th – 19th February 2021, the Farm Safety Foundation (also known as Yellow Wellies) will launch their fourth annual Mind Your Head campaign to illustrate actions being taken to break down mental health barriers in farming.
A recent study by the Foundation, found that mental health issues among farmers and agricultural workers are of growing concern and having a direct impact of safety on farms. With 88% of farmers under the age of 40 now ranking poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today (increased from 82% in 2018).
In an industry where 20 farm workers lost their lives in fatal farm accidents in 2019/2020, there were a total of 102 suicides registered in England and Wales in those working in farming and agricultural related trades, according to the Office of National Statistics. Scotland saw another 31 suicides in the agricultural sector. These include farmers, managers, and proprietors of ag related services and those working in agricultural related trades and elementary ag occupations.
The farming industry faces many stress factors, which are placing increased pressure on workers and putting them at greater risk of mental ill health. During the last year, the coronavirus pandemic will have only increased the mental health effects on farmers and could continue long after the virus has gone.
In the study, it was also revealed that 89% of young farmers believe that talking about mental health in farming will remove any stigma attached to it (increased from 80% in 2018).
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundationsaid: “Humans are social animals. We not only enjoy each other’s company, but we also thrive on it.
“Digital solutions have tremendous value, however we must not underestimate the value of talking through our problems. It sounds non-technical, and therefore old-fashioned, but getting farmers to open up is the very first step to building a holistic approach to mental health in the industry.
“It is so important to encourage a habit within agriculture that explicitly recognises how the job can, and does, impact on the wellbeing of everyone living and working in it and how poor mental health can have a direct and deadly impact on the job. Given the year we have just experienced, making sure we are all looking after our physical and mental wellbeing has never been more relevant.
The Mind Your Head campaign will focus on prevention and early identification of risk factors associated with those living and working in the UK farming industry and also aims to highlight the wealth of support available.
During the week long campaign, the Farm Safety Foundation will be sharing the stories of some incredible people who have lost loved ones to suicide, made difficult career and life choices, and hear stories of hope, resilience, and the light at the end of that dark tunnel.
Stephanie added: “This is a huge concern and one that we need to keep talking about. In the last 12 months, calls to farming charities have increased so we need to be concerned about the numbers of people in our industry feeling high levels of distress and to keep pushing to ensure people know that help is available and encourage them to ask for it.
“This is your industry, your future, and your responsibility to it’s time to speak up, speak out and mind your head.”
For more information on the campaign or to learn more about how the Farm Safety Foundation and partners are tackling the issue of poor mental health in the industry please visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow them on social media – @yellowwelliesUK on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
