Open Call for Proposals for Farm Safety, Health and Wellbeing Projects (Ireland)

These projects will support and promote best practice and bring about behavioural changes to minimise the risks to the safety, health, and wellbeing of everyone on farms, including farmers, workers, farm families and visitors, while also supporting those who have been impacted by fatal and non-fatal incidents.

Themes

• The projects will be funded under the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine’s dedicated Farm Safety budget. Successful projects under this call will cover one or more of the following themes:
• Improving Farm Safety 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will engage in raising awareness and encourage best practice in farm safety may apply for funding under this theme.
  • Possible topics could include:
    • Health and safety on the farm – understanding the legal obligations
    • Managing hazards and risk on the farm
    • Farm vehicles and machinery
    • Safety with livestock
    • Farmyards and buildings – construction and maintenance
    • Farmyard layout and building design to maximise safety and efficiency
    • Slurry storage and handling
    • The farm workshop – machinery repairs and maintenance
    • Electrical safety
    • Forestry on the farm
    • Working at height
    • Safety when using chemicals
    • Vulnerable persons including older farmers
    • Any other topic relevant to farm safety
• Theme B – Improving Farmers Physical Health
  • This theme seeks to support farmers health and the health of farm workers and encourage greater awareness of the need for farmers to actively manage their health.
  • Possible topics could include:
    • Healthy eating
    • Physical activity
    • Manual handling and musculoskeletal health
    • Minding your hearing
    • Cancer prevention and early detection including protecting your skin
    • Lungs and respiratory health including quit tobacco supports and information on vaping
    • Zoonotic diseases
    • First aid on farms
    • Cardiovascular health
    • Any other topic relevant to farmer physical health
• Theme C – Improving Farmers Mental Health and Wellbeing 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will engage in supporting farmers address mental health and wellbeing challenges may apply for funding under this theme.
  • This theme aims to encourage suitable individuals, groups and/or organisations to submit proposals which address farmers mental health and wellbeing and contribute to improving the quality of life of farmers, their families and farm workers.
  • Possible topics could include:
    • Coping with stress
    • Planning your work and managing your time
    • Substance abuse among farmers, farm families and farm workers
    • Gambling and addiction
    • Help seeking for mental and physical health
    • Suicide prevention
    • Coping with bereavement, including by suicide
    • Adapting to changes within and outside the farm gate
    • Farm succession
    • Rural isolation
    • Preventative screening (HSE resources available)
    • LGBTI+ supports in the farming community
    • Any other topic relevant to farmer wellbeing
• Theme D – Farmer Physical and Mental Health Checks 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will provide physical health and mental health and wellbeing checks to farmers may apply for funding under this theme. The checks must be provided at locations convenient to farmers such as marts, co-ops, agri-businesses and agricultural events. In the case of health checks at marts, they must be held on the days and times of sales. Applicants are required to set out the range of checks which they are offering in a farmers health check. The checks should include the following:
    • Blood pressure check
    • Pulse check
    • Cholesterol Level
    • Blood Glucose Levels
    • Weight measurement with Waist Measurement and Body Mass Index
    • Emotional health assessment (Short Edinburgh Warwick Mental Wellbeing Scale or similar) to measure wellbeing levels
    • Mental health support – an opportunity for farmers to discuss their mental health concerns and their wellbeing including overall individual assessment and tailored lifestyle advice and information on promoting physical and mental health
    • Personal record card of all tests and advice
    • Signposting/referral as appropriate to GP or other services.
• Theme E – Tractor Driving Awareness Training for Children 14 years of age and older 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will provide Tractor Driving Awareness Training courses to children 14 years of age and over may apply for funding under this theme
• Theme F – Chainsaw Training for Farmers 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will provide Chainsaw Training courses may apply for funding under this theme. Only courses which meet the standards laid down by City & Guilds NPTC, LANTRA, or equivalent courses which meet such standards as laid down by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) are eligible.
• Theme G – Farm Safety, Health and Wellbeing Events/Engagement 
  • Individuals, groups and organisations who will engage in promoting farm safety, health (physical and mental) and wellbeing may apply for funding under this theme.

Eligibility Criteria

• Successful applicants will be required to ensure that all the necessary ethical, legal, data protection, environmental, health and safety, and regulatory requirements are complied with for the duration of the contract i.e. all applicable national and EU laws, regulations, and guidelines.
• The Department expects to award contracts under each of the themes and a number of topics under each theme. If multiple proposals are received for individual themes, they will be ranked in accordance with their suitability.
• The number of contracts awarded for a theme may be limited.
• Projects delivered in schools and at other events that focus primarily on promoting farm safety awareness among children are not eligible under this open call. It is envisaged that there will be a separate initiative focusing on this topic.

For more information, visit gov.ie.