Farm Safety Live returns for its 10th year at the annual Tullamore Show

FARM Safety Live will mark its 10th year at the Tullamore Show this Sunday, continuing its focus on practical, farm-based safety demonstrations.

This year’s Farm Safety Live demonstrations at the Tullamore Show will be officially launched at 10am on the morning of the show by Michael Healy-Rae, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, with special responsibility for Farm Safety, Forestry and Horticulture.

Building on the success of the past decade, Farm Safety Live aims to emphasize the importance of safety around farm vehicles, equipment and livestock with demonstrations at the Tullamore Show this year, which takes place on Sunday 10th August.

This year’s Farm Safety Live demonstrations, which is a collaboration between FRS Co-Op, FBD Insurance, and the HSA, in conjunction with the Tullamore Show, will also include a live chainsaw safety demo in response to a notable increase in requests for chainsaw training following the severe storm damage caused by Storm Éowyn earlier this year.

At the event, experts from FRS Co-Op’s training division will provide hands-on demonstrations focusing on tractor driving and PTO safety, the safe use of quads and ATVs, and proper livestock handling.

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Ben Fearn, Operations Manager at FRS Training, said: “This is the 10th year of providing live demonstrations at the show and they are a powerful tool for helping to change behaviours. Watching routine practices and observing the potential hazards helps farm families and farm workers recognise and mitigate risks. Continuous education and training is essential to foster a safety-conscious culture on farms. The Tullamore Show is an ideal platform for promoting these vital messages to a wide audience."

The importance of these demonstrations is highlighted by HSA data, which shows that farms remain the most dangerous workplaces in Ireland with a total of 171 fatal accidents recorded on farms in the past decade. So far in 2025, there have been 12 farming fatalities, which is equal to the total number of fatalities in farming for all of 2024. Of the 12 farm fatalities this year, five (41%) have involved vehicles.

Ger Hartnett, Senior Inspector at the HSA, said: “Incidents on farms continue to contribute to a disproportionate number of work-related fatal injuries. In the last 10 years, farm vehicles and machinery account for almost half of all farm deaths. In order to keep reducing serious and fatal injuries in the sector, we need to improve the safety culture and behaviour on Irish farms. The focus on farm vehicles, livestock handling, and chainsaw safety is a key objective of Farm Safety Live this year. Giving these demonstrations at the Tullamore Show will hopefully help promote safer behaviour and help prevent future accidents on our farms.”

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Farm Safety Live has been developed by FRS Co-Op, the HSA and FBD Insurance in conjunction with the Tullamore Show. This marks the tenth year of this interactive farm safety demonstration as part of the annual Offaly-based agricultural event. Farm Safety Live will be located at stand L105 at the Tullamore Show.

Chelsey Cox McDonald, Secretary of the Tullamore Show, said: "We are delighted to welcome Farm Safety Live again this year. Highlighting farm safety is a fundamental part of our show program and we hope each demonstration will help everyone to 'think farm safety' and work towards eliminating risks. The number of families affected by farm tragedies each year is truly heart-wrenching."