Galway schools can become ambassadors for farm safety
IRISH Rural Link are calling on primary schools across Co Galway to sign up for its AgriKids Farm Safety Ambassador School Programme.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture the programme will provide teachers and their pupils with farm safety resources that support the curriculum and champion a community led approach to farm safety education and practice.
As part of the programme, teachers are encouraged to reach out to local farmers, vets, first responders and other agri representatives to deliver in school talks and demonstrations.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae said: “A farm is a wonderful place to rear a family, but safety must always be the priority.
Building on the success of this programme in 2025, I am confident that this training will help foster an awareness of farm safety from a young age which can become instinctive.
I am reminding parents that they play a key role in developing the learnings by adopting best practice when it comes to farm safety and encouraging children by showing good example.”
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Schools will be given the option to choose between two programme approaches, the succinct AgriKids Farm Safety Hour or the AgriKids Farm Safety Day.
The Farm Safety Hour offers a concise, introductory framework for farm safety, covering specific topics supported by resources available on the AgriKids website.
Alternatively, schools can run a Farm Safety Day, choosing one of three themes: Farm and Field Safety, Tractor and Machinery Safety, or Animal Safety and Wellbeing. On completion of each a school will earn a themed pennant, once all three are collected, the school will earn a prestigious Farm Safety Ambassador Flag.
Irish Rural Link CEO Seamus Boland commented: “Ireland is an agricultural country, and the reality is that farming activities have cost lives and resulted in serious injuries. That is why it is so important that we bring this message straight to classrooms and to the wider community, so that together we are more inclined to automatically think about farm safety and becoming instinctively safer as a result.”
Programme manager Alma Jordan is encouraging schools to take part. “We want to help our educators make time for farm safety, keeping the subject real and relevant for students and teachers. Being aware of existing curriculum commitments, these programmes are designed looking at teacher’s time allocation, aiming to make a serious message fun, and to include the wider community. This is what makes this programme unique and applicable to how children learn.”