Farm Safety & Animal Wellbeing

Accidents and injuries in farming remain stubbornly widespread. To mark Farm Safety Week 2026, we’ve returned to one of our earliest Farming Focus™ podcast episodes to focus on this ever-present challenge and hear how one Devon farmer’s attitude to safety changed after rushing to do a job changed everything.

Whether it is support during harvest, relief milking, fencing, machinery repairs, building work or seasonal labour, most farms take on extra help at certain times of year. 

Biosecurity can often feel like a complicated subject, but at its heart it comes down to understanding risk and building good habits. Synergy Farm Health vet Esme Moffett and Devon sheep farmer Peter Delbridge discuss the everyday steps farmers can take to reduce disease risk and protect livestock health.

Agriculture continues to be a high-risk industry, with the Health and Safety Executive consistently reporting high levels of fatalities and serious injuries. In Farming Focus™, Peter Green speaks with farmer and Tilly Pass founder Jane Gurney and Cornish Mutual’s Risk Management Leader Dom Jones about why farm safety statistics remain stubbornly high, offering realistic ways farmers might reduce the risks.

Manual handling is part of everyday life on farms, from using heavy tools and handling livestock animals to carrying tools and equipment. But these routine tasks are a common cause of injury in agriculture, and the long-term effects can be more serious than many realise.

Trees on farms provide shelter and support biodiversity, but they can also become hazards if left unchecked. Arthur Denton, Claims Team Leader at Cornish Mutual, looks at how to manage trees on your land.

Tractors are an essential part of farming, but the rules around young tractor drivers aren’t always well-known. Claire Longman, Head of Underwriting at Cornish Mutual, covers the key legislation for driving tractors.

Overhead power lines (OHPLs) pose a particular risk to farmers when working with high or wide machinery, such as combine harvesters, tipper trucks/trailers, telehandlers and spray booms, and not forgetting radio aerials, flashing beacons and vehicles rolling silage clamps.

Before harvest begins is a good time to make sure everyone in the team is fully briefed and trained on farm safety procedures. This includes existing as well as new staff plus any seasonal or temporary workers taken on to cover the busy period.

In the first series of our podcast Farming Focus™, host Peter Green talked to vet Ralph Drouin and farmer Max Sealy about what can be done to overcome bovine TB and whether vaccination is the silver bullet.

Animal welfare is a contentious subject, with farmers and the public having different perspectives. But Dr Amy Jackson, founder of Oxtale Communications, believes listening without judgment will help farmers engage with the public on animal welfare and gives her advice to those looking to share their story.  

As slurry spreading and spring fieldwork get underway, farm trailer attachments quickly become part of everyday life. Risk Management Leader Dom Jones shares practical advice to help keep things running safely, with a focus on the small checks and decisions able to make a big difference during busy periods.

Whether on a ladder, roof or some form of working platform, many jobs on farm require working at height. This makes falls a worryingly common cause of accidents and the second highest cause of fatalities in agriculture. Health & Safety Advisor Jess Phillips outlines what you need to know about carrying out these tasks, including your legal responsibilities and how to minimise risks.

Health & Safety Advisor Jess Phillips explains why signs are essential for keeping people safe on farm, how to use them effectively and the legal requirements you must meet.  

Working alone is not uncommon on a farm and although not against the law, it does put you and your team at higher risk of accidents with more severe consequences. Both employers and staff are responsible for safety; employers for assessing and addressing risk, staff for following the procedures put in place to keep them and their colleagues safe.  

Every farmer depends on well-functioning machinery and equipment such as tractors, forklifts and loaders to keep the farm running smoothly. But as reliance on machinery grows, so does the importance of maintaining it in good working order and adhering to safety standards.

You and everyone who works for you needs to know how to work safely and without putting themselves at risk. This includes contractors and the self-employed working on your farm. Adequate information and training are essential parts of an employers’ health & safety obligations and should be part of your farm health & safety policy.

Among the numerous hazards on a farm are harmful substances. Coming in many forms, Health & Safety Advisor Amy Jasper explains the regulations around these materials and what they mean for handling them on farm.  

Are you ready for winter? Dealing with the aftermath of property damage caused by winter weather is not only costly but stressful. Avoid putting yourself through it by planning ahead and protecting your property to limit any disruption. Corning Mutual’s Head of Underwriting Claire Longman suggests the following:

Head of Underwriting Claire Longman advises farmers on five steps they can take to reduce the risk of fires caused by hot farm machinery.

Health and Safety Advisor Amy Jasper reminds us how to keep children safe in what is often a dangerous environment.

LOLER is the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. Enforced by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), LOLER governs the use of lifting equipment to ensure it is functional, well maintained and safe to use. 

Welding is an invaluable skill in farming life, but careful risk management is needed to keep welders safe while they work.

Taking the keys out of your farm vehicle is the single most important step you can take to prevent it being stolen this winter.

As we approach the colder winter months, many farmers will be preparing to move livestock indoors. Charlie Neale, Associate Director and Farm Vet at Shepton Vets, and Naomi Clements, Cornish Mutual Claims Leader, share some best practice advice on moving and housing livestock.

Don’t let your machinery put you and your team at risk this spring. Nick Lay, Claims Technician at Cornish Mutual gives some machinery safety tips.

Cornish Mutual Claims Technician Pat Phillips advises farmers on what to consider before investing in a quad bike.

Each year Cornish Mutual handles a number of insurance claims relating to incidents involving tractor-mounted rotary flail hedge cutters.

Improving farm safety is one of the main objectives behind the upcoming changes to the Red Tractor farm assurance standards.

Over the last fortnight, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have seen a number of fires at farms across Somerset.

Forecasting the weather is not easy but we know the winter can be challenging.

Every year, people are sadly killed or injured in accidents involving tractor power take offs (PTOs) and PTO shafts that drive machinery towed behind a tractor. Cornish Mutual has been raising awareness of the issue at health and safety events for farmers across the region. 

The agricultural sector has the highest rate of death and serious injury of any industry in the UK. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 39 people were killed as a result of farming and other agricultural-related activities last year – a six-fold increase on 2017-18. Slurry pits can be one of the most dangerous areas of the farm.

Claims Team Leader Arthur Denton outlines the three key safety considerations for farmers working with hay bales.