Former JLS star turned farmer JB Gill who now runs his own farm rearing pigs, turkeys and chickens near Kent, has lent his support to this years’ Farm Safety Week campaign.
JB said: “Farms can be wonderful places for children to grow up but the sad fact is that farms are the only workplace where children continue to be involved in fatal accidents, which is heart-breaking for the farm owners and the families involved, as well as a horrific tragedy for their communities.
Being part of the farming community and having a young child myself, I want to help highlight the importance of child safety on farms.
“The Farm Safety Foundation is urging farming families to talk about farm safety and make it a priority. Please put in place simple and practical measures to make sure your children are safe at all times.”
Farm Safety Week
After five years of delivering Farm Safety Week, bringing together five countries over five days with one clear goal – to inspire behavioural change – this year’s campaign, led by award-winning charity the Farm Safety Foundation, wants to highlight and, share good practice and demonstrate what ‘good’ looks like.
It is a worrying fact that the same accidents are still happening and claiming the lives and limbs of too many of our nation’s farm workers; however, things are changing.
Initiatives training the next generation of farmers mean that tomorrow’s farmers are more aware, more informed than ever.
Stephanie Berkeley from the Farm Safety Foundation said: “Many of those injured or killed on our farms have been doing this all their lives.
“Incredibly, 21 of the 29 workers killed this year were over the age of 60 – that is three-quarters of the total number.
Unlike other occupations, farmers don’t tend to retire at 65 and often work well into their 80s. Factors such as health, agility and stubbornness combined with risk-taking, fatigue and improperly maintained machinery to create this ‘risk’ nightmare.
“Over the past five years, we have asked farmers to stop and think. We have delivered successful awareness campaigns such as Mind Your Head and Who Would Fill Your Boots?
“We can continue to make powerful and emotive films and offer advice and guidance but we can’t do one thing. We can’t make farmers change their attitude. Only they can make that change.”
