Rural & Agriculture
24 July, 2026
One life lost on farms every six days
ONE person died on an Australian farm roughly every six days last year, according to new figures released as part of National Farm Safety Week. Farmsafe Australia’s 2026 Safer Farms Report shows 53 people died and another 182 were seriously injured on Australian farms during 2025.
The figures bring the national toll to 427 farm deaths since 2019, with Australia recording more than one farm fatality each week for seven consecutive years.
The report was released as part of this year’s National Farm Safety Week campaign, Set the Standard: Show ’em how it’s done, which encourages people across the agricultural sector to recognise how their everyday actions influence others.
Farmsafe Australia chair Felicity Richards said many incidents occurred not because people did not care about safety, but because routine work and time pressures allowed unsafe habits or shortcuts to become normal.
“Most incidents don’t happen because people don’t care about safety,” she said.
“They happen during routine jobs, busy periods and moments of pressure when shortcuts begin to creep in.”
Ms Richards said those moments mattered because the way one person approached a task often shaped the behaviour of co-workers and younger family members.
“Every day on Australian farms, people are watching,” she said.
“They watch how we approach a task, how we respond under pressure, what we walk past, what we accept and what we choose to challenge.”
Tractors, side-by-side vehicles and quad bikes remained the leading causes of fatalities on Australian farms.
Farmsafe Australia said simple measures such as wearing helmets and seatbelts, reducing speed and using rollover protection could significantly reduce the risk of serious injury or death.
The organisation is also encouraging farmers to challenge the culture of working through fatigue and time pressure, saying everyday decisions help shape long-term attitudes to safety.
Ms Richards said a strong safety culture was built through practical actions rather than paperwork alone.
“Culture isn’t built through posters or paperwork alone,” she said.
“It’s built through what people see; a helmet worn, a seatbelt buckled, a decision to stop and reassess, a conversation about fatigue or someone having the confidence to speak up.”
WFI Insurance executive general manager Damien Gallagher said improving farm safety was a shared responsibility.
“Every conversation about safety has the potential to prevent an injury, strengthen a business and protect a farming family,” he said.
National Farm Safety Week concludes tomorrow, with Farmsafe Australia encouraging farmers and agricultural workers to consider the standards they set every day and the influence those actions have on others.