Eight people under 18 have died on Irish farms over the past decade — every one of those deaths involved farm vehicles. That figure from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) sits behind the government's latest move: Agri Aware has won the contract to deliver its Farm Safety First programme in second-level schools this year, with an option to extend annually up to 2031.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon announced the funding today, framing the programme as the next step in a wider departmental effort on farm safety awareness.

"Building on the success of farm safety awareness initiatives funded by my department, I am delighted to announce funding for this important project which will promote farm safety awareness among second level students," Heydon said.

"I am confident that Agri Aware's Farm Safety First programme will make an important contribution to educating secondary school students about farm safety at an age when many of them are becoming more involved in farm work."

The DAFM data gives the initiative its urgency. Eight fatalities in ten years marks a steep drop from the 1980s, when 74 people under 18 died in farm incidents. But the department was blunt in its assessment: "eight fatalities are eight too many."

Farm Safety First forms part of a broader set of initiatives aimed at educating young people about farm safety, with the explicit goal of preventing or reducing the number of incidents on farms.

Why second-level students

The timing of the intervention matters. Second-level students are at the age when many begin taking on real work responsibilities on the family farm — machinery operation and livestock handling among them. The programme targets exactly that transition.

Minister of State for forestry, farm safety and horticulture Niall Collins, speaking at the announcement, said the programme will give teachers direct support in addressing the specific dangers of farming.

"The Farm Safety First programme will assist second level teachers in educating their students about the dangers associated with farming," Collins said.

"I would encourage schools and teachers to embrace this initiative and the farm safety awareness training that this programme will deliver."

Collins stressed that safety on farms is a shared responsibility, not solely a matter for formal education. "It is only by promoting best practice and discouraging risk taking that everyone, including young people and children, will adopt a responsible approach to farm safety," he said.

Classroom resources plus practical training

Agri Aware chair Shay Galvin set out what the programme actually delivers. It is not confined to classroom materials.

"Although a brilliant environment to work in, there are risks to one's safety while working on farm," Galvin said. "Therefore, it is critical, particularly at a young age to instil good habits and make aware the dangers on farms, particularly around the use of machinery and care of livestock to the next generation."

The programme combines teacher resources for classroom use with what Galvin described as a "practical element": in-person workshops and farm visits. He said these are aimed to "promote best practice while working on a farm and ultimately help to reduce the risk of accidents on farms in the future."

That practical component is the programme's distinguishing feature. Vehicle-related incidents account for all eight under-18 fatalities of the past decade, and hands-on farm visits give students direct exposure to safe practice around machinery and livestock rather than theory alone.

What happens next

Agri Aware, the Irish agri-food educational body, will roll out Farm Safety First in second-level schools this year. The contract carries an option for annual extension through 2031, meaning the programme could run across a full secondary school cycle and reach successive year groups.

Schools and teachers will be the immediate point of contact for uptake. Farmers with children at second level should watch for programme materials arriving through their schools, and for the schedule of in-person workshops and farm visits as the rollout begins.