Farmers are great at looking after their farms, but ACC figures show they are not always as good at looking after themselves, with 1354 farm-related injury claims from Northland last year.
Farmers are great at looking after their farms, but ACC figures show they are not always as good at looking after themselves, with 1354 farm-related injury claims from Northland last year.
Northland Farmers need to look after themselves and their workers this winter after ACC recorded 1354 farm-related injury claims from the region last year - with stress a major factor behind the numbers.
Farmers are great at looking after their animals and their farms, but they also need to lookafter their most important assets on the farm - themselves and those who work in the business.
That is the message from ACC and Farmstrong, a rural wellbeing initiative, as farmers all over New Zealand get ready to meet the workload of another demanding winter season.
Agriculture is New Zealand's biggest export earner but it's also one of the country's most high-risk industries, the ACC figures show.
In 2020, there were 22,796 farm-related injury claims accepted nationally which came at a cost of $84 million to help people recover. That is over 60 farmers getting injured every day.
In all, ACC has spent more than $833m on farm related injuries in the past five years, with the cost in 2020 the highest from this period.
In the past five years in Northland there were 8004 farm related injury claims accepted - costing $27.2m to help people recover, with 1354 injuries occurring in 2020, costing ACC $5.4m.
And a Northland farming support worker says the stresses on farmers in the region are far greater than the general public may realise.
Exhaustion, lack of sleep, the stresses of farming, being isolated from friends and family, and being unable to take a break all add to the risks that a farmer or farm worker will have an accident, the research shows.
Northland Rural Support Trust chairman Chris Neill said farmers were doing it tough, with a number of pressures on them that the general public were unaware of.
''Farmers are members of our community and have the same stresses as everybody else. We've all got more stresses over the past couple of years, but for farmers they are far worse - and it's becoming the new norm.
''Like everybody they've had the uncertainty of Covid. But they've had droughts [last summer's was the seventh since 2009], M. bovis [Mycoplasma bovis, a bacterium that can cause a range of serious conditions in cattle] - which is still out there - floods, and issues caused by climate change. There's also still worries about the low soil moisture levels for the upcoming season - we just haven't had enough rain.
''Yet they've still got to run their farm - which is their business and often their home - look after their staff and stock.
''That sort of stuff ticks all the boxes for causing more stresses and anxiety. Farmers are dedicated to running their farms - they want to be farmers - and they're not looking for sympathy, but it's important that the public understands what they are going through.''
He said farmers had large workplaces to look after with a diverse range of risk factors and potential hazards that were not common elsewhere.
''As well, most of them work very long hours, particularly at the height of the [dairy] season, when dairy farmers are up before dawn and don't finish until late in the evening. All these things lead to physical tiredness - but they just have to get on and do it.
''And then on top of all that you've got the financial pressures of running a farm, paying for stock and staff and ensuring you are up to date with all the latest environmental standards you have to adhere to.''
Northland Rural Support Trust chairman Chris Neill says the pressures and stresses on Northland farmers are huge.
Neill said Northland Rural Support Trust was there to offer and help and advice to farmers, who should ring 0800 787 254 if they needed the service.
The top three types of farming injuries nationally in 2020 were soft tissue injuries (66 per cent), laceration, puncture or sting (17 per cent) and fracture / dislocation (6 per cent).
While many businesses in 2020 adopted remote working and were affected by Covid-19, life for farmers carried on as normal and there was no break from the long hours - or risk.
Farmstrong is a rural wellbeing initiative for farmers and growers to help them "live well to farm well". It encourages farmers to share their stories and to look after themselves as well as they do their pasture and livestock.
In 2016 ACC became a strategic partner of Farmstrong, joining FMG and the Mental Health Foundation. Last year ACC increased its investment to $3.5m over the next five years.
"Farmers spend their lives growing our food and milk and helping our economy, but they're not great at looking after themselves," Virginia Burton-Konia, ACC's head of workplace safety, said.
"We're proud to be partnering with Farmstrong and its focus on simple tools like getting enough sleep, eating right and getting some exercise.
"Farmers need to get better at putting in systems to look after the most important asset on the farm, themselves and those who work in the business."
An ACC-funded study for Farmstrong shows 58 per cent of recently injured farmers linked their accident to stress associated with farm work. A quarter of them said it was a major factor.
Last month ACC launched a new injury prevention campaign called Preventable. The campaign lays down a wero (challenge) to all New Zealanders to stop and take a moment to assess the risks at home, work and play.
By taking a moment to prevent injury, they can keep doing the things they love and keep from harming others around them.
"We are challenging all New Zealanders to have a Hmmm," Burton-Konia said.
"It's important for everyone, especially farmers, to take a moment to think about what they are about to do and think about what could go wrong to prevent injury."
