'An extremely difficult job': Feds put $1M towards promoting farm safety in Canada

'An extremely difficult job': Feds put $1M towards promoting farm safety in Canada

Average of 9 children died from injuries each year between 2006-2020

The federal government is spending more than $1 million to promote health and safety on Canadian farms.

Winnipeg MP Ben Carr, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald, announced funding up to $1,071,532 over two years for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.

"Unfortunately, every year, we see fatalities and other issues caused by the risks we face on farms," Carr said Sunday in Winnipeg, adding the aim is to address both mental and physical health.

"The government of Canada has contributed funds to improve the situation and ensure there is more protection and that we can find solutions through education and other measures."

The money will be used by CASA on safety campaigns, training, and injury prevention research in an effort to reduce risks for farm families and workers in the agriculture sector.

The non-profit organization will work with industry partners, researchers, and governments to share safety best practices across Canada, stated a press release from Sunday's event.

Those will include safety tools and events for rural youth, including safety days and Kids FarmSafe Week — an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of farm safety for children and youth.

"These aren’t just places where people work — for the most part, they’re where they live," Carr said. "So it’s a place where children play, but also where people work and sleep, and it’s an extremely difficult job."

The announcement comes just two days after a 66-year-old man died after he was apparently struck by farming equipment in southern Manitoba.

RCMP investigating workplace fatality in southern Manitoba

Agriculture-related fatalities have decreased 36 per cent from an average of 110 deaths per year between 1990 to 2005, to 70 deaths per year from 2006 to 2020, according to the press release, citing the most recent data from Statistics Canada.

Of those 70 deaths annually between 2006-2020, an average of nine children died each year, the release states.

Part of the funding will also go towards expanding the BeGrainSafe program, to teach workers about the hazards of working with grain, and training local firefighters in rescue techniques, the press release stated.

It will also be used to create mental health resources, develop safety tools for women in agriculture and gather injury data to find new ways to prevent farm accidents.

Island farmer preaches message of safety for agriculture workers during awareness week

"We’re very grateful … for the funding to make sure that safety is really a priority for agriculture and keeping farmers, farm workers and communities safe," said Meaghan Trachsel, director of development for CASA.