Farm Safety Week runs from 20 to 24 July 2026, and this year marks the 14th year of the campaign led by the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies). The TFA is proud to support the campaign again this year, joining farming organisations across the UK and Ireland in calling for safer choices on farms.
Farming remains the industry with the poorest safety record in the UK, and this year has seen one of the highest numbers of fatalities in over a decade. Twenty-two workers lost their lives on farms in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025/26. Workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing are around seven times more likely to be killed at work than those in construction and 21 times more likely than the all-industry average.
This year’s campaign deliberately looks beyond the fatality figures, to a reality that rarely gets the same attention: the serious injuries that leave farmers and workers permanently changed, long after the immediate incident has passed.
The scale of the problem
Around 8,000 workers suffer non-fatal injuries on farms each year, and a further 9,000 are affected by work-related ill health, with 67% of those cases linked to musculoskeletal disorders. Behind each of these figures is a person, and usually a family, adjusting to a new reality of chronic pain, reduced mobility or the loss of an ability to work.
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, explained that the margin between a near miss, a serious injury and a fatal incident is often frighteningly small. A fall from height, a machinery incident or a vehicle accident can just as easily leave someone living with a lasting disability as it can prove fatal, with consequences that ripple out to affect the whole family, the farm business and the wider community.
Wayne Owen, HM Inspector of Health and Safety (Agriculture), echoed this, pointing to the continued loss of life, including nine children on Britain’s farms over the last five years, as both tragic and preventable. He stressed that meaningful change depends on a shift in culture across the industry, with health and safety built into everyday decision-making on every farm.
A timely reminder as harvest gets underway
This year’s campaign lands at a particularly relevant moment. As harvest gathers pace across the country, the pressure to get crops in quickly can push safety down the list of priorities. No crop or deadline is worth risking a life or a serious injury. Taking a moment to stop, think and look out for one another on farm, especially around vehicles, machinery and fatigue, can make the difference between a normal working day and a life-changing incident.
The TFA’s message
Robert Martin, TFA National Chair, said: “Farm Safety Week is an important opportunity to bring the farming community together and have honest conversations about safety. Too many lives are changed in an instant, and by supporting this campaign we want to remind everyone that small changes in behaviour can make a big difference.”
Farm Safety Week 2026 is a reminder that survival is not always the end of the story. The TFA encourages all members to take a moment this week to reflect on safety on their own farms, and to talk to family, staff and contractors about the practical changes that can help prevent life-changing injuries before they happen.
Find out more about Farm Safety Week and access safety resources on the Farm Safety Foundation website, or follow @yellowwelliesUK on Instagram, Facebook and X using the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek.
