The Farm Safe Farm Well series, produced by Agriland Media in conjunction with AXA Insurance, is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Over the coming months, the series, which includes articles, videos and podcasts, will focus on different themes related to farm safety and wellbeing.

As the summer holidays are in full swing, it is more important than ever to ensure that children are kept safe while on the farm.

Although many children like to help on the farm, it is important for everyone to remember that farms are not playgrounds and that children must be carefully supervised.

According to data from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) children and young people accounted for 9% of all fatalities on Irish farms between 2014 and 2013.

84% of the fatal accidents to children on farms in the period involved the use of tractors and machinery.

Alma Jordan lives in Julianstown in Co. Meath with her husband Mark and son, Eamon where they run a tillage, cattle and horse enterprise.

In response to a spike in farm deaths in 2014, which included five children, Alma wrote a series of story books for children on the theme of farm safety.

She also founded AgriKids, a farm safety educational platform specifically for children, which provides tools, resources and learning aids for teachers to use in the classroom.

Over the past decade, 80,000 children have engaged with the AgriKids programme.

In 2020, AgriKids launched the 'Farm Safety Roadshow', a specially equipped truck which travels to shows around the country, offering a "one stop shop" of farm safety resources for children of all ages.

"My ethos is to engage, to educate, but to empower our children to become our farm safety ambassadors," Alma told Agriland.

Alma said she is "not an advocate for keeping our children off the farm" as "it's an incredible place to learn".

However, she said that young people "need to appreciate the fact that they are coming into the most hazardous of workplaces".

"We find that when we have animals they always need to be fed, there's always a yard that needs to be swept, a shed that needs to be mucked out. There's always work that needs to be done with the animals.

"When they get that little bit older, hitting 14, 15 and upwards, then we can expose them to the life of driving and handling farm machinery," she said.

Alma stressed the importance of children being taught the meaning of the signs they see on farms.

During the summer months, farms may see an increase in visits from family and friends who may not be from a farming background.

"That's an ideal opportunity to remind your children that there may be people coming to the farm that aren't used to farm life. So reinstill the message again when is it safe to go and when do you have to say no," Alma said.

The AgriKids founder said that there are things we can all do to make farms a safer place for everyone and that the farmer should "lead by example".

"Have a look around the type of farm that you have, identify where the hazards are and use it as an opportunity to help educate, teach and empower your own children around the areas that they need to watch out for on a farm, but most importantly, explain why," Alma said.

The HSA reminded farmers that children between the ages of 7 and 16 may ride on a tractor provided the tractor is fitted with a properly designed and fitted passenger seat (with seat belts) inside a safety cab or frame.

The authority added that "under no circumstances" should a child under 7 years of age be carried inside the cab of a tractor, regardless of whether a passenger seat is provided or not.

Only children over 14 should be allowed to drive a tractor or self-propelled vehicle, in line with legal requirements

The HSA said that a young person aged 14 or over should only be permitted to drive a tractor or self-propelled machine on the farm, if:

They have attended a formal training course run by a competent training provider;
They are closely supervised by a responsible adult;
They have the ability to operate the controls with ease;
All the controls are conveniently accessible for safe operation by the operator when seated in the driver's seat;
The controls which operate the power take off (PTO) devices, hydraulic devices and engine cut-off are clearly marked to show the effect of their operation;
The tractor is maintained so that it is safe for them to operate;
The ground over which the tractor is driven is free from hazards such as steep slopes or excavations, river banks, lake or pond edges, deep ditches and similar areas

You can find more information on keeping children safe on your farm on the HSA website by clicking here.