Australia’s most trusted rural charity is encouraging farmers to reach out for mental health and wellbeing assistance during Farm Safety Week, happening now.
‘This year’s Farm Safety Week theme is “in safe hands”,’ said Rural Aid CEO John Warlters. ‘Rural Aid’s mission is to stand with farmers when they need it most.
‘We’re encouraging farmers to register with Rural Aid, so that our organisation and its passionate donors, can support farmers’ wellbeing and safety with a hand-up.’
Assistance available
Rural Aid’s range of assistance measures help farmers improve their lives and businesses before, during and after disaster events – be it drought, bushfire or flood.
‘Rural Aid’s mental health and wellbeing team do a fantastic job of heading on-farm to chat with primary producers, at no cost to the farmer,’ Mr Warlters said. ‘Our financial, water and fodder assistance provides urgent relief for farmers in need.
‘And our Farm Recovery Events supply farmers with a team of volunteers, ready to tackle farming jobs post-disaster,’ Mr Warlters said.
Rural Aid’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager, Myf Pitcher, said it takes strength to reach out for help.
‘We want farmers to treat themselves as their most precious business asset and be open to receiving help with their busy workload,’ Ms Pitcher said.
‘One conversation at the right time with the right person can change everything.’
In safe hands
‘More than 18,000 primary producers are “in safe hands”, already registered with Rural Aid,’ Ms Pitcher said. ‘Registering with Rural Aid means we can support farmers when they need it, now or in the future, and it helps us support rural communities as well.
‘Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to see how we can help.’ she said.
To register with Rural Aid, visit www.ruralaid.org.au or call 1300 327 624.
More farm safety ideas
Farmers are urged to see what small steps they could take to boost their on-farm safety as NSW Farmers kicks off a series of workshops during National Farm Safety Week.
NSW Farmers Workplace Relations spokesman Chris Stillard said that many businesses, farming could be a dangerous occupation if due care was not exercised – so it was essential farmers remained proactive on workplace health and safety.
‘National Farm Safety Week is the perfect time to kick start those conversations around how we can all contribute to improving our physical and mental health, safety and wellbeing on-farm,’ Mr Stillard said.
‘Farming is a rewarding but potentially dangerous occupation, and the more we talk about the risks and dangers, the better. Small, simple-to-implement steps such as storing chemicals correctly or wearing helmets when it’s necessary all go a long way to ensuring everyone can stay safe and healthy on-farm.’
Free workshops across NSW
As an industry, Mr Stillard said, farmers were keen to put the spotlight on improving safety and he encouraged everyone to attend one of the free farm safety workshops hosted across regional NSW.
Delivered through the Farm Safety Advisory Program with the support of SafeWork NSW, the NSW Farmers workshops will provide attendees with practical tips and updates to ensure they can keep their farm businesses safe and compliant with the latest workplace health and safety requirements.
‘Farming never stops but as we all know, taking the time to keep your family, friends and employees safe on-farm is always worth it.’
Farmers can register for an event by visiting https://form.jotform.com/holleyt/fsap-event-registration.
