NFU council makes united stand on farm safety
NFU council members with their pledges © NFU Members of the NFU council have unanimously pledged to take personal action on farm safety, reinforcing the message that saving lives starts with small, intentional steps.
The pledge forms part of the NFU’s #Take5StayAlive campaign, which urges farmers to take just five minutes before any task to pause, think, and plan for safety.
The decision was made during the NFU council meeting on 23-24 June, where each member was asked to commit to one safety action they will take on their farm.
See also: Farmers Weekly launches kids’ farm safety campaign
With almost 600 farm-related incidents reported last year, the move signals a renewed urgency in tackling what NFU deputy president David Exwood called a “crisis we can prevent”.
“Farm safety is something we must all take personally,” Mr Exwood told the council. “Too many people are suffering serious or fatal injuries while doing their job, and behind every incident is a family left to pick up the pieces.
“We know the five most common causes: transport, machinery, livestock, working at heights, and overhead powerlines. And we know what we can do to prevent them.”
Mr Exwood, a mixed farmer based in West Sussex, shared his own commitment – an annual trailer brake check on his farm – and called on others to do the same. “It’s not about extraordinary actions. It’s often the simple things that make the biggest difference. Take five minutes. Think. That one small change might be the one that saves a life.”
Bull incident ‘a wake-up call’
NFU livestock board chairman David Barton offered a stark reminder of the risks after a recent incident with a bull on his farm in Gloucestershire. “I ended up being popped over a gate. It was a real wake-up call,” he said. “We need to respect the animals we work with and always have a plan.”
Council delegates wrote down their pledges and posed with them for a photo at the council meeting in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.
Farmers across the country are now being urged to join in by making their own safety pledges and sharing them online using #Take5StayAlive.