Farm deaths on the decline, but FarmSafe warns the job is far from done: The Key Takeaways from National Farm Safety Week 2026

As National Farm Safety Week draws to a close for 2026, FarmSafe Australia is urging farmers to continue prioritising safety year-round, with this year’s campaign shining a spotlight on the role every individual plays in setting safer standards on-farm.

This year’s campaign, ‘Set the Standard, Show Them How It’s Done’, focused on the role farmers and agricultural workers play in shaping safety culture through everyday actions and behaviours.

Speaking with FlowFM's Jessica Dempster on the Country Viewpoint, FarmSafe Australia Chair Felicity Richards said the response to the iniative had been extremely positive, with the message resonating across the agricultural community.

“We are so grateful not just to the members and supporters of FarmSafe, but to the wider agricultural community and to the media for embracing the campaign and drawing the messages of farm safety,” Ms Richards said.

“This year’s campaign, ‘Set the Standard, Show Them How It’s Done’, has seen it spread far and wide, and we are so excited by the uptake and the way the message has resonated.”

FarmSafe Australia Chair Felcity Richards, joined FlowFM's Jessica Dempster on the Country Viewpoint to discuss the key takeaways from this year's National Farm Safety Week campaign. IMAGE: FarmSafe Australia.

Ms Richards said the theme built on last year’s focus on near misses and second chances, encouraging farmers to consider the standards they set for those around them.

“Whoever it is, a child, a visitor, an employee on the farm, be aware that they are watching and copying what you do,” she said.

“Things like putting our helmet on, putting our seatbelt on in the side-by-side and the tractor, making sure that we slow down and take a pause to reflect on anything that might have changed since the last time we did a job - all those things, when we embed them in a habit, serve us so well".

The 2026 campaign also introduced the Safer Farms Ambassador Network, featuring farmers sharing their own experiences and practical approaches to improving safety on-farm.

Ms Richards said the value of the initiative was allowing farmers to hear directly from other people working in the industry.

“Our ambassadors are the genuine voice of a farmer to a farmer,” she said.

“They understand the everyday realities and the challenges you’re facing, and they can sincerely give you really valuable stories about how they make safety a priority on their farm.”

She said the ambassadors were helping demonstrate that improving farm safety did not have to mean major changes or expensive solutions, but could start with small, practical decisions made every day.

“You can still be weaving safety into everything you do, whether it’s beef farming, whether it’s poultry, whatever it might be,” Ms Richards said.

The 2026 campaign comes as the latest Safer Farms Report revealed 53 people lost their lives on Australian farms in 2025, with a further 182 people seriously injured.

While the figure is a reduction from the 72 fatalities recorded in 2024, Ms Richards said the industry could not become complacent.

“While I’m always grateful to see any improvement, it tells me there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Ms Richards said.

She said analysis from 2019 to 2025 showed Australia was still averaging one farm-related death every six days.

“That number is just devastating,” Ms Richards said.

“However, the flip side to that is I know we can do it. I truly believe we can turn it around and it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. We all have the power to make safer environments on our farms for ourselves, the people who visit us and the people who live and work with us.”

Ms Richards also warned that the second half of the year often brings increased activity and pressure across the agricultural sector, particularly during harvest.

“We’ve had 19 fatalities on Australian farms to 30 June 2026, but we know the second half of the year is when we’ll see a lot of harvest, we see a lot of activity,” she said.

“So we really need people to say the standard that we set this week, we’re going to carry it on forever — not just into next week, not into next month, but through 2026 and beyond.”

FarmSafe Australia is urging farmers and agricultural workers to continue making safety a priority, with practical resources, information and further forums available through the organisation’s website.