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Farm fatality report reveals initial 2020 figures
Elizabeth Gracie
Farmsafe Australia has released the Safer Farms 2020 Agricultural Injury and Fatality Trend Report, noting 58 agriculture-related fatalities in the past 18 months.
The report data was compiled by AgHealth Australia and outlines how farmers can mitigate the risks associated with agriculture work.
Chair of Farmsafe Australia, Charles Armstrong noted that Australia’s agriculture industry is highly dangerous to work in, but hopes that the continuous work of Farmsafe Australia will lower risks.
From the 58 fatalities, 8 per cent were caused by large farming animals, 13 per cent by tractors, 22 per cent by quad bikes, 3 per cent by water dams, 8 per cent from side by side UTV’s and 3 per cent by motorbike accidents. The report does not make clear the causes of the remaining 43 per cent of fatalities.
There were 133 non-fatal injuries in the last 18 months, of which 18 per cent animal-related injuries, 35 per cent quad bike-related injuries, and 11 per cent tractor-related injuries.
The report also outlined that 89.3 per cent of farm fatalities are male, with 50 per cent over the age of 50 years old.
CEO of the National Farmers Federation (NFF), Tony Mahar said that the report was a sobering read.
“These numbers must be cause for alarm for farmers and regional communities and highlight the need to do more to protect a farms most important asset, it’s people,” said Mahar.
FarmSafe Australia says that the ideology that many farmers take up that being a farmer is more a way of life than an occupation is dangerous and makes it very difficult to improve safety on farms.
According to Mahar, “being a farmer is more than just a job, it’s a way of life”.
However, they have identified four key insights into the barriers that stand in the way.
These include budgeting decisions where funds are deemed more needed elsewhere, unreceptive attitudes to changed practices and the “it will never happen to me” attitude as well the lack of a line between the home and work environment for farmers, especially those who have inherited farms and all the hazards and risk they encompass.
Crucially, the report outlines the importance of making safer farms the topic of conversation for all farmers constantly to encourage them to take responsibility and liability for their place of work and all those who work there.
The NFF hopes that by 2030 Australia reaches the goal of zero farm fatalities.
The report follows National Farm Safety Week for 2020 which aims to raise awareness of farm safety issues in rural communities in Australia.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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