28 May, 2012
Young farmers from across Cornwall have
been challenging each other for the title of the county's safest
farmer at the annual 'Efficiency with Safety' competition.
The event, organised by the Cornwall Federation of Young Farmers
(YFC) and supported by Cornish Mutual as part of the rural
insurer's 'FarmSafe' campaign, took place on Saturday 26
May at Penvercoe Farm near Bodmin.
Five teams of four entered the contest which tested their
machinery maintenance and teamwork skills. They had to carry out
tasks including maintenance checks on tractors and fertilizer
spreaders, attaching spreaders, sprayers and power harrows to the
tractors and give a practical demonstration around first aid.
The 'Efficiency with Safety' competition was won by the Liskeard
Young Farmers Club, who were presented with the Peter Richards
Memorial Cup by one of Cornish Mutual's local insurance inspectors
for Cornwall Dave Bersey.
Dave Bersey (pictured with the winners) said: "Health and safety
on the farm is vitally important, as agriculture has the worst
record for deaths and serious injuries compared to all other
industries in the UK. According to figures from the HSE, there were
eight fatalities in the South West alone in 2010/11. Cornwall's
young farmers are the future of the industry, and it was great to
see them displaying such knowledge and skill when it comes to
safety. It was a very close result, but I was delighted to hand the
trophy over to the team from Liskeard, who performed excellently in
all of the challenges."
Cornish Mutual has sponsored the Cornwall Federation of Young
Farmers Clubs for a more than 50 years, helping to provide skills
training and promote recruitment.
The rural insurance firm, which is based in Truro, launched the
'FarmSafe' campaign earlier this year to raise awareness of health
and safety issues and reduce the number of deaths and injuries on
farms in Cornwall and the South West.
Katherine Spencer, County Organiser for Cornwall Federation of
Young Farmers Clubs added: "The 'Efficiency with Safety'
competition is a national competition that is run every few years,
but we think it is one of the most important things for young
farmers to understand, so we run our own competition every year. We
are very grateful to Cornish Mutual for funding the event and
helping to raise awareness of the very serious issue of farm
safety."
As well as supporting Cornwall Young Farmers, Cornish Mutual is
also involved with Young Farmers across Dorset, Devon and Somerset.
For more information about Cornish Mutual visit www.cornishmutual.co.uk
