Teagasc to host major EU conference on farm safety and the future of farming this November
Researchers, farmers, advisors and EU policymakers will gather at Teagasc Ashtown from 3 to 5 November 2026 to tackle one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: making farming a safer, healthier and more attractive way of life.
Members of the Irish Community of Safe Farm Practice attending the official launch of the SafeHabitus Conference with Minister Niall Collins at the recent Teagasc Beef2026 event in Grange, Co. Meath.
Twenty-three people lost their lives on Irish farms last year, 40% of all workplace deaths in Ireland, from a sector employing just 4% of the workforce. Across Europe, farming remains one of the most hazardous occupations, while fewer young people are entering the sector and many farms struggle to attract workers. Behind these figures lies a fundamental question: how to ensure that farming remains an attractive way to make a living?
That question will be at the centre of a major three-day conference hosted by Teagasc at its Ashtown Research Centre in Dublin from 3 to 5 November 2026. The conference, ‘The Attractiveness of Farming: Working Conditions, Safety, Wellbeing and the Future of Farming in the EU’, is being held in association with Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
A priority set by farmers themselves
Farm safety has been identified by farmers themselves as a priority for Ireland’s EU Presidency. A survey conducted at the National Ploughing Championships found that improving farm safety and wellbeing was among the issues farmers most wanted the Presidency to address. Teagasc and the SafeHabitus project are working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure the conference contributes meaningfully to Ireland’s EU Presidency agenda.
Attendance is free of charge and open to all, with registration available through the conference website.
What the conference will cover
Focusing on working conditions and job quality, the conference will examine the day-to-day realities of farm work, including health and safety, mental health and wellbeing, work-life balance, and the role of women and young people in farming. Over three days, researchers, policymakers, farm advisors and practitioners from across Europe and beyond will present findings and discuss what needs to change.
The first day will focus on the big picture, with contributions from senior EU policymakers including a delegation from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), chaired by its President, Mr Séamus Boland, and representatives from the European Commission. Days two and three will move into focused sessions on specific research themes, including farmer health and wellbeing, and farm safety.
SafeHabitus Film Awards: farming’s realities on screen
The conference will also host the SafeHabitus Film Awards, a celebration of films and digital storytelling created with and by farming communities across Europe. The Awards recognise the power of the arts to capture the practical challenges and lived realities of farm work including the risks, the pressures, and the resilience, while also showing why farming remains a challenging but fulfilling career. The winning entries will be screened at an awards ceremony on the evening of Tuesday 3rd of November.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, said:
“I welcome this important conference that will discuss the conclusions of the SafeHabitus Project. By examining the risks and occupational stressors farmers face, the SafeHabitus project makes a vital contribution to how a culture of farm safety can be supported and sustained across the EU. My Department is already working to shift the mindset around farm safety, health, and wellbeing by providing targeted investment in farm safety through national and EU schemes while also promoting improvements in farmer health and wellbeing. During Ireland’s EU Presidency, I will promote the vital importance of farmer safety, health and wellbeing in European agricultural policy.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Niall Collins TD, said:
“Driven by our Food Vision 2030 strategy, this Government is committed to improving the quality of life of our farming families. Farm safety, secure working conditions, and farmer health and wellbeing are critical for a resilient agricultural sector, not only in Ireland but across Europe. I look forward to how this conference will help bridge the gap between research and policy and inform the development of practical supports for farmers across Europe.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development, Noel Grealish TD, said:
“I would like to congratulate Teagasc and the collaborating researchers for their work on the SafeHabitus project, which highlights the importance of research involving farmers and other stakeholders in developing recommendations for future national and EU policies in this critical area. I am committed to funding research into farm safety, health and wellbeing that drives the behavioural and cultural shifts needed to protect our farming communities. Earlier this year, I was pleased to announce funding in this priority area under the most recent thematic research call.”
Dr David Meredith, Head of Department, Teagasc Agri-Food Business and Spatial Analysis, and SafeHabitus Project Coordinator, said:
“The evidence that we have generated over the past four years is clear: the future of family farming depends on making it a livelihood that people want to enter, build a life in, and pass on to the next generation. This conference highlights the factors that directly support the attractiveness of farming as a job and livelihood and will improve understanding of what we need to do to secure and improve the future of the sector for those working in it.”