The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) welcomes the Victorian Government’s continued investment into the Making our Farms Safer project (MOFS), to enable the vital project to help keep Victorian farmers safe.
VFF President Emma Germano said the project’s immediate focus will be on farmers aged 60 years and over to help lower their overrepresentation in farming deaths and injuries.
“Farmers aged over 60 years tragically account for more than 40 per cent of deaths on farms throughout the country.”
“Last year, six people aged over 60 lost their lives on Victorian farms. That’s someone’s mother, father or friend that can never be replaced. We hope this project will help ensure loved ones come home at the end of the day.”
“With the help of a working committee consisting of older farmers and their adult children, the project will develop specific content and resources, such as a guidebook and monthly newsletters to help make Victorian farms safer.”
“Farmers and our regional communities told us loud and clear how important this project was to them, and I welcome the government’s commitment to helping us keep farmers safe,” Ms Germano said.
The shift in focus towards farmers aged 60 years and over, expands on the success of the recent VFF MOFS ‘Making Our Farm Families Safer’ campaign, which had a significant impact in changing attitudes and improving the safety of children on farms aged between 10 and 15.
“Since launching in mid-2022 and running until June this year, the campaign’s videos were viewed more than 110,000 times and 76 per cent of people surveyed said their commitment to farm safety had increased as a result of the campaign.”
“Change takes time and it’s through projects such these and the dedicated staff delivering them that we’re starting to see the dial move towards ensuring all preventable injury and deaths on farms don’t happen,” Ms Germano said.
VFF MOFS Making Our Farm Families Safer campaign survey facts and figures:
- 76 per cent of responses stated they had reconsidered the tasks they give to working aged children on their farms;
- 66 per cent of responses said that the campaign resources assisted in better educating them about child safety on farms;
- Over 19,000 visits to the VFF MOFS dedicated farm safety website
- 6,800 downloads of the Child Safety on Farms Guidebook (from October 2022 to May 2023)