FARM SAFETY sessions will now be on offer to SAYFC clubs and districts across Scotland to ensure members are equipped for safety in the workplace.

The Farm Safety Foundation – more commonly known as ‘Yellow Wellies’ – has been busy this January coaching the SAYFC Young Farmers’ squad of 2021 Farm Safety Mentors.

The team of six – two members representing each of the three SAYFC regions – will soon be available to train clubs and districts across Scotland with specially designed 90 minute sessions.

Sally Mair from East Aberdeenshire and Aimee Budge from Shetland are ready and awaiting bookings for the north.

Perthshire’s Jillian Kennedy and Hamish Logan from Lothian and Peebles will cover the east region, and Lucy McLymont from D and G and John McCulloch, chair of the west’s agri and rural affairs group, will offer their expertise to the west region.

During the training, mentors will work with members to identify risks & dangers, plus discuss changes for a more serious acknowledgement of Health and Safety in rural businesses to benefit everyone within their families and work groups.

On completion of training, members will have learnt more about dangers living and working in farming and the importance of looking after both physical and mental wellbeing. The training will cover the importance of first response and first aid when dealing with an accident on the farm and to be able to understand the impact a serious farm accident could have not just on individuals but also on family, friends and workmates.

There is a tendency within the industry for complacency when it comes to executing the same jobs on a regular basis. The farm safety training will challenge SAYFC members to look at the jobs they do daily and identify the risks and dangers that might be involved and think about how they could look to make them safe.

"We are very excited to launch our new 'member led' Farm Safety training along with The Farm Safety Foundation," said agri affairs vice chairman Alistair Brunton, who will be overseeing the rollout of the sessions. "We will be the guinea pigs for Yellow Wellies brand new training programme. This includes a virtual interactive farm, and insights from some individuals whose lives have been seriously affected by some of the many agricultural accidents that occur every year.

"We hope to deliver this as physical meetings once the current Covid-19 guidelines allow it, but right now it can be done virtually," he explained. "This gives SAYFC members a fantastic opportunity to receive training, which will not only benefit them and their workplace, but also provide them with something to do during these quiet evenings in lockdown.

"A big thank you must go to Stephanie Berkeley and the rest of the team over at The Farm Safety Foundation, as well as Jenny Baillie for her work behind the scenes on behalf of SAYFC," he concluded.

For those who would like to apply for a farm safety session, you can complete the form within the blog section of SAYFC’s website or email jenny@sayfc.org.