Nearly half of UK farmers under 40 say they fear surviving a farm accident with a disability more than dying in one, according to a new survey released to mark the 14th Farm Safety Week.

The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), which leads and funds the campaign, polled 408 farmers and agricultural workers across the UK during May and June 2026. Among respondents aged under 40, 49.7% said a life-changing disability worried them more than death, against 36.6% who cited dying. Older farmers showed a similar pattern: 51.7% feared disability, 31.4% feared death.

The survey lands in a bad year for the sector. HSE data shows 22 workers died on farms in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025/26 — one of the highest fatality totals in over a decade. Workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing remain around 7 times more likely to be killed at work than those in construction, and 21 times more likely than the all-industry average.

The hidden toll

But fatalities dominate the conversation while the injury toll stays largely invisible, the Foundation argues. Around 9,000 workers in the sector suffer work-related ill health, with 67% of cases linked to musculoskeletal disorders. An estimated 8,000 non-fatal workplace injuries have occurred over the past five years.

"When we talk about farm safety, fatalities understandably dominate the conversation, but serious injuries can be just as life-changing," said Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation. "The reality is that there is no such thing as a papercut on a farm and the margin between a near miss, a serious injury and a fatal incident is often frighteningly small."

"A fall from height, an encounter with machinery, a vehicle incident — these don't always result in death, but they can leave someone living with chronic pain, reduced mobility, disability or an inability to continue working," she said. "That impact doesn't stop with the individual; it affects the family, the farm business and the community as a whole."

Claims falling, slowly

There is tentative evidence that sustained safety campaigns are starting to bite. NFU Mutual, the UK's leading rural insurer, recorded 868 farm accident claims in 2025/26, down marginally from 894 in 2024/25. The share of claims made by workers under 40 also fell, from 23% to 20%.

The Foundation reads the survey results differently. Farmers know the risks they take, but lack an emotional connection to the consequences — meaning serious injury or death rarely features in day-to-day decision making on farm.

Heatwave adds risk

The campaign coincides with the UK's third official heatwave of the year, and Yellow Wellies is warning that extreme heat raises the risk of serious and fatal incidents in an industry already carrying the poorest safety record of any UK occupation.

Outdoor workers receive around five to ten times more annual sun exposure than indoor workers. Agriculture ranks second only to construction for deaths linked to sun exposure, accounting for 23% of them — roughly one farm worker dies from skin cancer every month.

Heat also degrades judgement. Dehydration, heat stress, fatigue and poor concentration all increase the likelihood of mistakes around vehicles, livestock, machinery and working at height — the same hazards that already dominate the sector's serious and fatal injury record.

The Foundation's practical advice for harvest includes keeping a top on, wearing a brimmed hat, using at least SPF30 sunscreen, drinking water little and often, taking breaks in shade, checking skin regularly for changing moles, keeping machinery clean and well-maintained, watching for dust build-up and overheating parts, and ensuring fire extinguishers are accessible and working.

"If we are really serious about making our farms safer, we must broaden the conversation," Berkeley said. "We must take injuries just as seriously as fatalities and recognise that preventing harm, not just death, has to be our goal. And we must bring the people behind the statistics into the open, not to alarm, but to connect. Because connection is what changes behaviour."

Across the week, the charity will work with farmers, families, industry bodies and the wider rural community to challenge the misconception that only fatal injuries matter. Farmers can follow the campaign at yellowwellies.org and @yellowwelliesUK using #FarmSafetyWeek, and should watch for the Foundation's next survey findings as it builds the case for treating injury prevention with the same urgency as fatality prevention.