ON-FARM deaths in Australia more than doubled last year to 72, up from 32 in 2023, and 36 percent above the five-year average to 2023 of 53, according to AgHealth Australia data released last week.

On-farm injuries have also jumped, with 133 reported in 2024, up from 122 in 2023.

Data comes from media reports, and fatal cases could potentially increase as the result of monthly queries run in the National Coronial Information System to identify any additional incidents.

AgHealth Australia’s farm safety research manager Kerri-Lynn Peachy said the latest statistics are troubling, and a stark reminder for the need to prioritise farm safety.

“There is still a lot we don’t know around the circumstances of each of these tragic incidents, but with figures for deaths and injuries more than doubling the 2023 numbers, we must heed the warning,” Ms Peachy said.

Key statistics include:

• 14 deaths involved side-by-sides, up from four in 2023;
• 10 deaths involved quads, up from five in 2023;
• Eights deaths involved tractors, up from five in 2023.
• Queensland saw the largest spike in serious injuries, going from 11 to 61; and,
• More than 75pc of injuries reported on farm occurred in Qld and New South Wales.

“Quads and side-by-sides were the leading agents causing fatal injury in 2024, so I urge people to ensure they’re taking all the safety precautions available to them when operating these common farm vehicles.

“It’s clear from the data we must urgently improve our actions and attitudes, working in collaboration across the agriculture sector, to drive improvements in farm safety, which in turn will increase productivity.

Figure 1: On-farm fatalities as reported by the Australian media by state in 2023 and 2024. Source: AgHealth Australia

AgriFutures Australia senior manager rural futures Ulicia Raufers said the data is crucial to help the industry take swift action to address emerging safety concerns.

“We cannot afford to let this worrying upward trend of on-farm deaths and serious injuries continue,” Ms Raufers said.

“It is on each and every person living, working or visiting a farm to take farm safety seriously and turn these figures around.”

Insights from dashboard coming

As part of the upcoming Ag Safety Data Net (ASDN) dashboard, real-time injury data will be available to highlight the number of incidents and their contributing factors.

This information can help inform and engage farmers, farm workers, and industry stakeholders to emphasise collective responsibility for farm safety.

The new ASDN platform will for the first time report at industry, regional, state and national levels.

Farmsafe Australia chair Felicity Richards emphasised the importance of data and evidence in shaping educational resources and engagement initiatives, and said 2024 had been “shockingly tragic”.

“By having access to this data and evidence, through the ASDN, we will be better equipped to shape our educational resources and engagement initiatives in ways that directly address the challenges our farmers are currently facing.

Figure 2: On-farm non-fatal injury events reported in the Australian media by state in 2024. Source: AgHealth Australia

“We know that every statistic we review is more than just a number—every stat carries a personal story and represents a human life, a family and a community affected by the risks of agricultural work.

“Our challenge is to transform those numbers into real-life safety awareness messages that resonate deeply and motivate our people to change their attitudes and behaviours towards safer practices, ensuring that we all return home safely every day.”

AgHealth Australia has been leading research into deaths and injuries on farm since 2004, providing the most comprehensive evidence on which to build prevention approaches to enhance the safety and wellbeing of people in Australian agriculture.

The annual report, prepared by AgHealth Australia and funded by AgriFutures Australia is available here.

Source: AgriFutures Australia