Since the HSE was founded by the Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974, the rate of accidents at work has reduced steadily. In agriculture, the decline seems to have hit a plateau, but we must not accept an “irreducible minimum” of deaths and injury.
The HSE Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee (AIAC) has signalled that its funding will cover only 400 inspections per year, all on reported incidents.
HSE inspections have reduced over the years, and in early 2024, it announced it would no longer be doing “routine” farm inspections. This caused widespread concern, particularly in a year with a higher-than-average fatalities (27).
This leaves farming to self-inspection, which may work in situations which are already well run, but not where standards are poor with no pressures to improve.
It was reported in 2023 that nearly 400 ‘mandatory’ inspections were cancelled in 2021-2022, compared to two in 2016-2017.
John Burbidge, Unite FDA Dorset Branch says, “Training, competency and certification as lawful requirements are limited to just a few areas of farming such as crop spraying. This should be mandatory throughout the industry, enforced by law and by the insurance industry.
“Employer negligence and the casualised character of much of the industry stem from monopolies in land ownership, insurance, food processing, and food retailing dominated by the supermarket chains.”
In a recent court case, a Gloucestershire farmer was fined £1,000 with £6,161.72 costs following the death of a young shepherdess, after a heavily laden ATV overturned while she
33 uniteLANDWORKER Spring 2026
was spraying a fence line. HSE inspector Emily O’Neill said, “This was a tragic incident [which] could have easily been avoided with the right controls in place.”
Unfortunately, until a disaster happens, there is little pressure to spend time and resources putting controls in place.
Unite has been protesting about cuts in funding and presence on the ground for many years. The fight goes on.
SAFETY CONCERNS?
Concerns about safety at work? First contact your Unite health and safety rep or nearest Unite regional office (see page 39 for details).
The HSE are on 0300 003 1647 (0830- 5pm Monday to Friday, 10pm on Wednesdays). Or contact them through the online form. They will take details and decide whether to investigate further. You don’t have to give your name. They also give advice.
ADVICE AND INFO
Farm Safety Foundation resources:
https://bit.ly/4q1w2fm and
https://bit.ly/48LnOSg HSE:
https://bit.ly/4mPdkVe HSE online form:
https://bit.ly/46ZGZFx
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