General News
22 July, 2026
Farm safety comes first
ONE life is lost on Australian farms every six days.
This National Farm Safety Week (19-25 July), Farmsafe Australia has launched the 2026 Safer Farms Report, alongside a national campaign encouraging every person in agriculture to recognise the influence they have on the people around them.
The Safer Farms Report has become Farmsafe Australia’s flagship annual publication, bringing together the latest national injury and fatality data, emerging issues, information on practical resources and the voices of farmers leading change across Australian agriculture. More than a snapshot of statistics, it provides insight into the opportunities to strengthen safety culture and create safer, healthier farming communities.
New figures released in the report reveal 53 lives were lost and a further 182 people were seriously injured on Australian farms in 2025, bringing the nation’s farm death toll to 427 lives since 2019, more than one person every week for seven consecutive years.
The figures are a reminder that, while Australian farmers produce the food and fibre that keeps the nation running, too many families continue to be affected by preventable injuries and fatalities on farm. They also reinforce the importance of continuing to build safer farms, stronger safety cultures and better outcomes for the people behind Australian agriculture.
WFI Insurance executive general manager Damien Gallagher said the report reflected the value of industry working together to create meaningful and lasting change.
“For many years, WFI has proudly supported the Safer Farms Report because meaningful change starts with understanding the risks, challenges and opportunities facing Australian agriculture,” he said.
“This report combines evidence, practical ideas and the voices of farmers themselves to help strengthen safety across our industry.”
Mr Gallagher said improving farm safety was a shared responsibility.
“Every conversation about safety has the potential to prevent an injury, strengthen a business and protect a farming family,” he said.
“We’re proud to support initiatives that encourage practical leadership and help create safer outcomes across Australian agriculture.”
This year’s National Farm Safety Week campaign, ‘Set the Standard: Show ‘em how it’s done’, is built around a simple idea: the standards demonstrated every day influence the standards others adopt tomorrow.
Farmsafe Australia Chairwoman Felicity Richards said, while the report highlighted the challenges facing Australian agriculture, it also provided reason for optimism.
“Most incidents don’t happen because people don’t care about safety. They happen during routine jobs, busy periods and moments of pressure when shortcuts begin to creep in,” she said.
“Whether we realise it or not, those moments matter because they become the standards we set and the standards others follow.
“Every day on Australian farms, people are watching. They watch how we approach a task, how we respond under pressure, what we walk past, what we accept and what we choose to challenge.
With tractors, side-by-sides and quad bikes continuing to be the leading causes of fatalities on Australian farms, Ms Richards said the industry should focus on the small, everyday behaviours that helped build a stronger safety culture.
“It’s simple things like wearing a helmet, putting on a seatbelt, reducing speed and using rollover protection that can make a real difference,” she said.
Throughout the week, six Safer Farmers Ambassadors from across Australia will share their own experiences and practical insights into creating stronger safety cultures.
Poultry operations manager Brad Vinecombe is encouraging farmers to pause and reassess before routine and pressure influence their judgement.
Queensland bull handler Sophie Halliday believes the small habits people demonstrate every day have the greatest influence on those around them.
Tasmanian sheep producer Josie Chester is reminding farming families that children are always watching and “so it’s our job to set them up for success”.
Cotton grower Gavin Dal Broi is calling on farmers to rethink the culture of pushing through fatigue and time pressure and avoid treating it as a badge of honour.
New South Wales cattle producer Katie Saul is encouraging farmers to recognise that safer cultures aren’t built with a tick and flick mentality.
The 2026 Safer Farms Report is available at: www.observer.s.gy/FJr57N
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