Grim farm death toll sparks safety campaign

GRIM new figures reveal 53 lives were lost and 182 people were seriously injured on Australian farms in 2025, bringing the nation’s farm death toll to 427 since 2019, more than one person every week for seven consecutive years.

The statistics have been released as part of National Farm Safety Week, with Farmsafe Australia launching its 2026 Safer Farms Report.

Farmsafe Australia chair Felicity Richards said many incidents occurred during routine jobs when people were busy or under pressure, “when shortcuts begin to creep in”.

“Most incidents do not happen because people do not care about safety,” Ms Richards 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.”

The report found tractors, side-by-side vehicles and quad bikes continue to be the leading causes of fatalities on Australian farms.

Ms Richards said the industry should focus on the small, everyday behaviours that help build a strong safety culture.

“It is simple things like wearing a helmet, putting on a seatbelt, reducing speed and using rollover protection that can make a real difference,” she said.

Farmsafe said 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, reinforcing the importance of building safer farms, stronger safety cultures and better outcomes for the people behind Australian agriculture.

This year’s National Farm Safety Week campaign, ‘Set the Standard: Show ’em how it’s done’, focuses on the idea that the standards we demonstrate every day influence the standards others adopt tomorrow.

Throughout the week, Safer Farmers Ambassadors from across Australia shared their experiences of improving safety on farms.

Among them is cotton grower Gavin Dal Broi, who is encouraging farmers to rethink the culture of pushing through fatigue and time pressure, and avoid treating it like a badge of honour. NSW cattle producer Katie Saul is urging farmers to recognise that safer cultures aren’t built with a tick-and-flick mentality.

Queensland bull handler Sophie Halliday believes the small habits people demonstrate every day have the greatest influence on those around them, while sheep producer Josie Chester is reminding farming families that children are always watching, and that it’s our job to set them up for success.

WFI Insurance executive general manager Damien Gallagher said improving farm safety required a collective effort across the industry.

“Every conversation about safety has the potential to prevent an injury, strengthen a business and protect a farming family,” Mr Gallagher said.