Dublin conference confronts EU farm safety gap as deaths go unrecorded

EU statistics miss around four in ten farm deaths. That figure, from the SafeHabitus initiative, landed at the opening of a three-day international conference in Dublin this week that tackles farmer safety, wellbeing and the attractiveness of farming across the bloc.

The SafeHabitus Conference and Film Awards 2026 began on Tuesday, November 3, and runs until Thursday, November 5, at Teagasc Ashtown in Dublin. It brings together dozens of researchers and experts from across the EU, along with three senior names in Irish and European policy.

What does the data say about farming as a job?

Plenty, and little of it comfortable. According to an EU-wide survey cited by Teagasc, farmers are among the most enthusiastic workers in the EU. The same survey, however, found that agriculture has the lowest earnings and the poorest career prospects of any sector, plus the highest exposure to excessively hot weather.

Then there's the safety record. Farming's fatal accident rate across the EU sits close to that of construction and more than three times the average for all sectors. Even that grim ranking may understate things — hence the four-in-ten gap between recorded and actual deaths.

Who is speaking, and what are they saying?

The speaker list includes Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon; Minister of State for farm safety Niall Collins; and Séamus Boland, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and former CEO of Irish Rural Link.

Heydon pulled no punches on the Irish figures ahead of his expected appearance on Wednesday, November 4. "Farm safety is one of the most critical issues facing farming and is an area that I have prioritised in recent years," he said.

The detail that stings: "Three-quarters of the twenty-four people who died on Irish farms last year were over 60 years of age. This brings home the importance of taking all necessary steps to ensure farms are safe for everyone who comes in through the gate," the minister added.

His advice to farmers was blunt. "I am urging farmers to take the time to review their safety at all times and carry out any necessary checks, maintenance and repairs without delay," Heydon said.

Why working conditions decide farming's future

Dr. David Meredith, Teagasc researcher and principal investigator of SafeHabitus, framed the issue as one of retention and recruitment, not just safety statistics.

"Whether young people choose farming, and whether those already farming stay, comes down in large part to working conditions: ability to earn a decent income; work-life balance and whether it fits with family life; how safe the work is; and its effect on health and wellbeing," he said.

"Good working conditions build the social resilience that an attractive, competitive farming sector depends on."

Boland took a similar line from the European level. The EESC is one of the key advisory bodies to the EU institutions.

"Farmers and farm workers are the backbone of Europe's rural communities, and the conditions they work in will decide whether those communities have a future," he said.

"The EESC has long argued that farming must become a genuine career choice for young people. That means fair incomes; safe and healthy work; and a real voice for farmers, workers and civil society in the policies that shape their lives."

Minister of State Collins, meanwhile, flagged the limits of talk. "We will hear from leading national, EU and international researchers over the coming days about the challenges that farmers and farm families face," he said.

"But knowledge alone isn't enough; farmers need support to make changes to make their farms safer while also supporting their health and wellbeing."

What is SafeHabitus, exactly?

The conference is the showcase of an EU research and innovation project coordinated by Teagasc and running since January 2023. Its aim, according to Teagasc, is to support farmers, farm families and farm workers to adopt healthier and safer ways of working.

The numbers behind it: €4.73 million in funding from the EU's Horizon Europe programme, and a consortium of 20 organisations from 13 countries.

The Dublin event also includes the SafeHabitus Film Awards, featuring documentary films on the "realities of farming life" — an apt medium for a sector whose official numbers, as it turns out, tell barely half the story.

What should farmers watch next? The conference outputs through Thursday, November 5, and any follow-up policy moves on underreporting — because a casualty count that misses four in ten deaths is a poor foundation for fixing anything.