HSENI strengthens support for older farmers during Farm Safety Week
- Love Ballymena
- Jul 26
- 2 min read
As part of this year’s Farm Safety Week, the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is focusing its efforts on older farmers, a group statistically more vulnerable to serious injury or fatality on farms.
On Wednesday 19 March 2025, HSENI, in collaboration with the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) and FSP Affiliate organisations, held a dedicated Older Farmers Health and Safety Awareness Day at the state-of-the-art Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) Learning and Development College in Cookstown.
The event aligned with one of the central aims of the Fifth Farm Safety Action Plan (2024), which highlights the need to engage with higher-risk groups, particularly those aged 65 and over.
The plan promotes practical, small changes that can drastically reduce the risk of injury and fatalities within this age group.
Speaking after the event, Robert Kidd, Chief Executive of HSENI, said:
“It is important that we liaise and engage with our older farmers, as health and safety is an ever-increasing issue in the farming community with new equipment, machinery and methods of farming evolving all the time. Equally with older equipment, it is crucial to ensure it is well maintained and in safe working condition.
“The day we spent with the older farmers in Cookstown gave us an opportunity to highlight the increased risks with age in farming, as we urged older farmers to recognise their limitations, and prioritise safety measures on their own farms.
“ The event was a remarkable success, with excellent feedback from the attendees, so much so that we are organising another older farmer’s day.”
The awareness day welcomed 60 older farmers from Rural Support’s Plough On Groups, who took part in an interactive programme involving five safety-focused stations:
Occupational Health – focusing on dust exposure and respiratory wellbeing.
Work at Height – highlighting safe practices and risk minimisation.
Vehicles and Vehicle Maintenance – with advice on maintaining tractors, ATVs, UTVs, and telehandlers, alongside training and examination guidelines.
Slurry and Animal Rescue – covering the dangers of slurry gases and NIFRS procedures for rescuing animals from tanks.
Animal Handling – practical safety tips for managing bulls, calving cows, and other livestock handling challenges.
HSENI expressed gratitude for the collaborative effort that made the event possible. They acknowledged Rural Support for their organisational role, the FSP Affiliate organisations for leading the stations and providing items for the farmer safety goody bags, and NIFRS for hosting the event at their cutting-edge training facility.
Supporting safer farming in Northern Ireland
The Farm Safety Partnership continues its mission to reduce accidents and deaths on Northern Ireland farms. Comprising HSENI, DAERA, UFU, NFU Mutual, YFCU, the Farm Safety Foundation, NIAPA, and Rural Support, the FSP is actively tackling safety issues across the agricultural sector through collaboration, education, and community engagement.
