A farmer who sustained serious injuries after a quad bike accident has welcomed news of a new fund to help improve the safety of farmers in Wales.
The Welsh government's funding of £80,000 aims to raise awareness of the dangers on farms, helping farmers, their families and visitors to understand the risks and how to stay safe.
It is being awarded to the Wales Farm Safety Partnership, a group of organisations helping to drive down the number of serious incidents and deaths on farms.
The £80,000 will be used to raise awareness of farm safety by attending events, working with schools and Wales YFC, as well as in a new children’s book on staying safe on farms.
North Wales sheep and beef farmer Beca Glyn has first-hand experience of what can go wrong on a farm after sustaining serious injuries in a quad bike accident on her family farm in 2018.
Glyn, who is a newly appointed ambassador for the Wales Farm Safety Partnership, has been on a mission to raise the profile of farm safety and promote safe working practices since her incident.
She said: “I think it helps for farmers to listen to someone who has made a mistake and has had first hand personal experience of what can go wrong and the consequences of that.
"We want to spread the important message of how farmers can get better at making their farms safer places to work and live, and today’s announcement will help with this aim.”
She said she believed that farm safety was moving in the right direction in Wales, but there was still more to be done.
“We can all improve, whatever our farm or system, not only for our sakes but for our families and visitors to the farm like our vets."
Twenty-one workers were killed in farm-related incidents in Great Britain during the last year, according to the UK's safety watchdog.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing has the highest rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers of all the main industrial sectors followed by waste and recycling.
Health & Safety Executive's (HSE) chief executive, Sarah Albon said: “Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy.
“While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
“Our mission is to protect people and places and we remain committed to maintaining safe workplaces and holding employers to account for their actions.”
