Farm vets launch campaign to keep children safe on farms

A Welsh farm veterinary practice has launched a social media safety campaign urging parents to ensure children are “safe and seen” on farms.

Based in Carmarthenshire, the initiative was launched by vets at the ProStock Vets practice, after they noticed that many children on the family farms they visit are often not visible due to wearing dark clothing.

See also: Health and safety policy: What farmers need to include

Director Sarah-Jane Redman said: “We see a lot of farmers wearing high-vis jackets, but not really any of the children.

“When you get chatting to farmers, a lot of them are parents or grandparents and they say how terrified they are of accidents, but many of the children are still dressed in dark boilersuits and clothing.”

To raise awareness of farm safety and ensure that children are seen, Sarah has had high-vis jackets made up with the words “Little Farmer” in English and Welsh on the back.

“I’ve just returned from maternity leave in January and so my son is so much more mobile now and is walking. It brings that realisation of how easy it is for an accident to happen,” said Sarah.

“Having been in the farming community and Young Farmers, you hear some horrendous stories and it is alarming how often these terrible accidents happen.

“Most of them are through machinery because the child has not been visible.”

The high-vis jackets are available to purchase from any of the ProStock group’s branches, and a portion of the profits from sales will be donated to farming charities.

The jackets will also be available to buy at various agricultural shows. Sarah said: “We try and find fun ways to introduce them, because lots of parents say, ‘Oh, I’ll never get my kid to wear that’, but the people who have bought them have said that their kids are obsessed with them because they say ‘Little Farmer’, so they get quite excited that they are included on the farm.”

To follow along with the safety campaign, search #besafebeseen.