Canada is investing up to $1.07 million to help reduce injuries and improve health and safety on farms across the country.
The two-year investment in the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association will support national safety campaigns, training, injury prevention research and practical resources for farmers, farm families and agricultural workers.
The funding was announced by Ben Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. It is provided through the AgriCompetitiveness Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families and agricultural workers, will lead the work.
Activities supported by the funding will include national safety campaigns such as Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, which aims to help farmers, farm families and agricultural communities strengthen safety and sustainability.
“A strong agricultural sector depends on the well-being of its workforce," said MacDonald. "This investment provides farmers, their families, and farm workers with the tools, training and resources they need to stay safe on the job every day. Reducing on-farm risks protects lives and builds a more sustainable future for Canadian agriculture.”
The association also will work with industry partners, researchers and governments to share safety practices across Canada and provide safety tools and events for rural youth, including safety days and Kids FarmSafe Week.
The funding will support expansion of the BeGrainSafe program, which provides training on grain-related hazards and teaches local firefighters rescue techniques. Other initiatives will include developing mental health resources, creating safety tools for women in agriculture and collecting injury data to identify additional ways to prevent farm accidents.
From 2006 to 2020, an average of nine children and youth died each year from agriculture-related injuries. Agriculture-related fatalities overall decreased 36%, from an average of 110 deaths per year from 1990 to 2005 to 70 deaths per year from 2006 to 2020.
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3.5 billion, five-year agreement running from 2023 to 2028 among the federal, provincial and territorial governments. It aims to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of Canada's agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.
The AgriCompetitiveness Program provides non-repayable funding for national, industry-led projects focused on knowledge sharing, leadership development, farm safety and agricultural awareness initiatives.
Source: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, "Government of Canada invests in safety on Canadian farms"