Primary sector launches farm health and safety campaign and industry pledge

(From left): Safer Farms chairwoman Lindy Nelson, Safer Farms' Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Sheffield, mid-Canterbury arable farmer Stu Wright, Safer Farms CEO Stephen Esposito and Dairy Holdings' Colin Glass.

The primary sector has launched a new health and safety campaign and strategy to help reduce injuries and fatalities on farms and address the human toll from producing food in New Zealand.

The ‘Half Arsed Stops Here’ campaign and ‘Farm Without Harm’ strategy are taking the health and safety message straight to the heart of rural communities.

As part of the initiative, industry leaders and farmers from across the country are signing a pledge to keep those working on farms healthy and safe.

The programme was launched yesterday at a dairy farm near Dunsandel in mid-Canterbury and today, on a sheep and beef farm near Carterton in the Wairarapa.

It has been developed by the agricultural leaders’ health and safety action group Safer Farms, an organisation dedicated to leading, redesigning and inspiring a safer farm culture throughout New Zealand.

Safer Farms chairwoman Lindy Nelson said Farm Without Harm was a bold, system-wide strategy and action plan developed by the agricultural sector for the agricultural sector in response to the concerning and persistent rates of harm on farms.

“Collectively, we proudly produce billions of dollars worth of world-class food annually destined for consumers across the globe.

“Yet last year, 13 farmers lost their lives on New Zealand farms and more than 2000 of us suffered serious injuries that forced us off work for a week or more.”

Nelson said the cost of producing food in New Zealand was too high.

“The injuries, deaths and mental harm as a result of accidents on our farms are hurting families, workers and rural communities.”

Developed over two years, the Farm Without Harm strategy was co-designed with farmers and their communities, iwi, Māori, industry leadership bodies and primary sector organisations to deliver tangible on-the-ground impact.

“This strategy represents a fresh approach to wellbeing on our farms,” Nelson said.

Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Lindy Nelson about the Safer Farms initiative on The Country below:

“It involves gaining a deeper understanding of different forms of harm, redesigning our farming systems to prevent harm and fostering a caring culture among us.”

Farm Without Harm had identified four high-harm areas that need an urgent focus, Nelson said.

“Risks to mental health resulting in reduced wellbeing, harm experienced while working with vehicles and machinery, physical stress and injuries from handling livestock and harm caused by exposure to agricultural chemicals and airborne risks.”

Nelson said the strategy aimed to eliminate harm from the system, rather than “relying on high-vis vests or helmets”.

“Safety starts with a culture of care and continuing to invest in new approaches. This is our line in the sand - it’s a recognition that we need to do things differently.

“Ultimately, it’s about coming together as a sector to find and share solutions that work best for us, while rejecting anything that puts ourselves or others at risk.”

The Half Arsed Stops Here campaign was a provocative message to start changing attitudes and an important part of the Farm Without Harm strategy, Nelson said.

“‘Half-arsed’ is a language farmers recognise and use - this is about farmers having everyday conversations that lead to safer outcomes.”

She said it wasn’t about judging people’s mistakes.

“When things go wrong, it’s a tragedy. Every farmer knows someone who has been injured or lost a loved one.

“This is a recognition that we have to find solutions and be focused and committed to finding these.

“We can’t be half-arsed about the problem or finding solutions.”