CASA launches inaugural Kids FarmSafe Week

WINNIPEG — The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is pleased to announce the first annual Kids FarmSafe Week, taking place May 13-19.

The inaugural campaign, which celebrates Nurturing the Future of Agriculture, encourages farm families, farm workers, and farming communities to #KeepKidsFarmSafe by raising awareness about health and safety risks for children and youth on the farm.

According to the latest Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting (CAIR) data, between 1990 and 2020, 435 children and youth were lost to agriculture-related incidents.

“One child or youth lost to an on-farm incident is one too many. Tragically, children and youth are often the victims of farming-related accidents,” says Andrea Lear, CASA’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is something that as an industry we must change, which is why CASA is launching the new Kids FarmSafe Week. Our goal for
this campaign is to heighten awareness about the risks for children and youth on the farm to help protect and nurture the future generations of agriculture.”

Kids FarmSafe Week features daily themes highlighting specific areas of health and safety concern for children and youth on the farm. These themes involve youth mental health, machinery safety, kids’ health, preventing falls, farm animal safety, and drowning prevention. The weeklong campaign will also feature a webinar with
valuable insights on keeping kids safe on the farm. More information about the webinar can be found at kidsfarmsafe.ca.