It arranged the events with organisations including the HSE and NFU Mutual to help reinforce crucial farm safety messages to almost 200 farmers and farm workers.
One event was organised by the NFU’s Ely & Soham branch and hosted by F. C. Palmer & Sons at Chittering, Cambridgeshire. It concentrated on vehicle and transport safety.
It involved practical demonstrations and discussion on areas including vehicle and driver regulations, teleporter and trailer maintenance and record keeping.
The second was a pre-harvest safety event hosted on his Bedfordshire farm by County Chairman Gary Speirs.
It took farmers through transport issues and also covered health and safety issues around working at height, working near overheard powerlines and with chemicals.
NFU Vice President Stuart Roberts, who holds the health and safety brief for the NFU officeholder team, attended and spoke at both events.
He said: “I was delighted to attend. We have a track record that is one not to be proud of on health and safety and I’m pleased that we’re starting to see more events like these, with farmers beginning to talk about this crucial issue.
“I believe we are starting to see a culture change. We’re starting to see an industry embrace the topic of health and safety, which is a credit to it.
“We need to see more progress, and we need to see things happening more quickly, but I believe with this approach we will be able to improve the record of this industry.”
NFU Farm Safety and Transport Adviser Tom Price also attended both events, briefing members on transport regulations and transport safety.
He said: “These will have been successful events if everyone who comes along takes away one thing they can do to improve their safety and the safety of everybody who lives and works on their farm. Things can be changed and it’s up to us to do it.”
Every attendee received a high visibility jacket branded with the NFU's health and safety initiative, #SeeItChangeIt.
Both events took place ahead of Farm Safety Week, which starts on 16 July 2018. Look out for more information about it on the NFU's farm safety channel.