Farming has once again been named the UK’s deadliest job, as new figures reveal it accounts for one in five workplace deaths despite employing just 1% of the workforce.
The grim data, released today (21 July) to coincide with the start of Farm Safety Week 2025, highlights an ongoing crisis in farm safety that campaigners say must be urgently addressed.
In the past year alone, 28 farm workers across the UK lost their lives – 23 in Great Britain and five in Northern Ireland – while a further four members of the public, including two children, were also killed in farm-related incidents.
Tragically, the two children died in accidents involving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), according to rural charity the Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies, which spearheads Farm Safety Week.
Nearly half (48%) of those killed were aged over 65, underscoring the vulnerability of older farmers in an industry where retirement is often delayed and safety risks persist into later life.
Despite making up just 1% of the UK workforce, the agricultural sector continues to account for nearly 20% of all workplace deaths, giving it the worst safety record of any occupation in Britain.
The annual Farm Safety Week campaign, now in its 13th year, aims to shine a light on the dangers of working in agriculture and to shift attitudes towards risk and safety culture.
“This is year 13 of Farm Safety Week. Thirteen years of stories. Thirteen years of heartbreak. Thirteen years of lives changed forever,” said Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation.
“And still, too many are relying on luck to get home safe. Luck is not a safety strategy. It’s not a plan. It’s not enough.”
While the figures remain high, there are some signs of progress. According to NFU Mutual, the number of farm accident claims fell slightly from 937 in 2023/24 to 894 in 2024/25, and reported cases of long-term ill-health and serious injury dropped from 23,000 to 18,000.
Nonetheless, the financial cost of farm accidents remains severe, with NFU Mutual paying out over £48 million in the past year.
Despite these small gains, the most common causes of accidents remain unchanged: moving vehicles, falls from height, slips, trips, and trapped body parts continue to top the list.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to express concern about the industry's culture of complacency and risk-taking.
“Farming is an extremely important but difficult and challenging job,” said Wayne Owen, an inspector at the safety watchdog.
“This general complacency towards tasks, and a poor attitude towards keeping people safe and healthy, has to change. The responsibility for that change rests with the industry itself.”
The Farm Safety Foundation’s own research found that 81% of UK farmers believe complacency – “always having done it that way” – is a major factor behind farm accidents, while 82% blame poor attitudes towards safety.
“When you start to underestimate the dangers of the vehicles, equipment and animals we know so well, we risk letting routine turn deadly,” added Ms Berkeley.
“Experience should guide caution, not excuse it.”
This year, the campaign is going global, working alongside Farmsafe Australia to share stories and best practices from the UK, Ireland, and the southern hemisphere.
Both the HSE and Farm Safety Foundation agree that reducing fatal and serious injuries is just part of the solution — changing mindsets is critical.
“Change doesn’t happen overnight,” said Ms Berkeley. “It starts with one decision, one action, one conversation. We owe it to those we have lost.
"We owe it to those still living with the consequences. And we owe it to the next generation of farmers in the UK, Ireland and beyond.”
