NFU warns Kent farmers to stay safe after increase in agricultural deaths
Twenty nine people lost their lives working on farms in the past year
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicate that 29 individuals died while working in agriculture between 1st April 2025 and 31st March 2026—an increase of six from the previous year.
The NFU's 'Take 5, Stay Alive' campaign encourages farmers to allocate five minutes for risk assessment, accident prevention, and mental health protection. The campaign stresses the importance of regular equipment maintenance, proper training, avoiding shortcuts, and risk assessment.
HSE data highlights machinery-related incidents as the leading cause of deaths in agriculture for 2025/26, underscoring the need for safe operation and routine checks.
Additionally, high temperatures pose increased risks, such as wildfires and combine fires on farmland.
Farmers are being advised to work at night when temperatures are lower, mitigating the challenges posed by extreme heat.
Hugh Richards farms in the Weald of Kent, and is on the NFU Livestock Committee. Speaking to Hits and Greatest Hits Radio Kent he said:
"I think it's a very worrying statistic. I don't think anybody wants to try and predict accidents and bad practise and that sort of thing, but with the circumstances surrounding agriculture at the moment and the problems going on in the rural community, it is not surprising in some ways because the pressures that farmers are under.
"They're not stopping and thinking, they're rushing on with what they've got to do. The economic environment is not great, so obviously corners will be cut in a lot of things."
On the importance of farmer's looking after their mental and physical wellbeing he added:
"Isolation, economic pressures, time constraints.
"You name it, it's happening in the rural community and farming is no exception.
"The job has to be done. It's not quite 24-7, and when you're working on your own, it's sometimes very difficult to actually just stop and assess, take a break, have a cup of tea, meet, socialise and actually consider what's going to happen next."
Advising those working in the farming industry on where to find support if they were struggling with work or worried abut their safety he highlighted the NFU's ongoing safety training sessions, and advised all farmers to carry a phone with them when working alone.