AIC Endorses FarmersAid App to Strengthen Farm Safety and Emergency Preparedness

AIC Endorses FarmersAid App to Strengthen Farm Safety and Emergency Preparedness

The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) has endorsed FarmersAid, a free app developed by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) to help people respond effectively in the crucial minutes following a serious on-farm accident.

The AIC Board recently received a presentation from RABI on the newly launched app, which has been specifically designed to give those first on the scene at a farm incident access to the basic skills and guidance needed to help save a life while emergency services are on their way.

Following the presentation, the Board endorsed the app and is encouraging AIC Members to make it available to staff who work on farm or visit customer sites, as well as highlighting it to farming customers and suppliers.

Agriculture remains one of the UK's most dangerous industries, with workers facing a significantly higher risk of severe injury or death than in many other sectors. AIC believes FarmersAid provides a practical tool to help improve emergency preparedness and strengthen farm safety across the industry.

FarmersAid offers clear, step-by-step guidance for a range of farming-related incidents, including machinery entrapment, crush injuries, falls from height, animal-related injuries, electric shock, and severe bleeding. Developed with input from specialists in rural and remote emergency medicine, the app also includes rapid access to emergency services and location-sharing features.

Jonathan Lane, AIC Board Chair said:

"The AIC Board was impressed by the practical support FarmersAid can provide in those critical first moments following a serious farm accident. Agriculture continues to have one of the highest rates of workplace injury and fatality in the UK, and anything that helps people act quickly and confidently in an emergency has the potential to save lives.

We encourage all AIC Members to download the app, share it with colleagues, customers, and suppliers, and make it part of wider conversations around farm safety. With Farm Safety Week and initiatives such as Farm24 shining a spotlight on safety across the industry, there has never been a better time to promote this valuable resource."

AIC believes the app can be promoted through customer meetings, open days, farm visits, and other engagement activities as part of a wider commitment to improving farm safety.

FarmersAid is available free of charge for Apple devices and Android devices. For more information, visit FarmersAid.

ENDS

About AIC

As the UK agricultural supply industry's leading trade association, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) represents businesses in key sectors within the supply chains that feed the nation.

Its Member businesses supply UK farmers and growers with the animal feed, fertiliser, seed, crop protection products, trusted advice and quality services that are essential to producing food, as well as trading crops and commodities across the globe.

Formed in October 2003 by a merger of three trade associations, today AIC has over 230 Members in the agri-supply trade and represents £17.8 billion* turnover at farmgate.

AIC works on behalf of its Members by lobbying policymakers and stakeholders, delivering information, providing trade assurance schemes, and offering technical support.

AIC Services manages a range of services, including Trade Assurance Schemes and professional registers recognised by the UK Government as essential means to underpin feed and food safety alongside fertiliser security.

These schemes and professional registers include:

• Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops (TASCC)
• Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS)
• Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS)
• European Seed Treatment Assurance (ESTA)
• Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS)
• Feed Adviser Register (FAR)
• Renewable Energy Directive (RED)
• Forage Assurance Scheme (FAA)
• AIC Services Palm Oil Credit Scheme (APOCS)

https://www.agindustries.org.uk

^{*According to a 2023 survey of AIC Members.}

Press Contact

Wendy Ford, Communications Manager, AIC
+44 (0)1733 385230
[email protected]