By Hannah Cargill, contract production manager, Avara Foods
Earlier this month I sat in my company’s managers’ conference, bracing myself for a day of graphs and targets. But the biggest takeaway wasn’t about performance or profit margins. It was a simple reminder from one of our senior leaders: the most important thing is that everyone goes home safely at the end of the day.
Sounds obvious, yet it struck me. In companies like mine, there are people dedicated to risk assessments, training, and making sure we are compliant with the rules. But out on family farms, where margins are tight and paperwork piles high, health and safety can sometimes slip into the ‘I’ll deal with it later’ category.
There have been 17 farm deaths in the UK since April 2025. Seventeen lives lost. Seventeen families left grieving. And all while simply doing the job of feeding the nation.
Health and safety isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t make the crops grow faster or the birds gain weight quicker. It’s often fiddly, repetitive, and yes dull. But it’s also the cheapest insurance policy you’ll ever take out.
Even in poultry farming where we might not be swinging combine harvesters around a field the risks are real. Dust that damages lungs, repetitive strains that ruin backs, zoonotic infections. Feed augers, chemical handling, slips, trips, fall. And the basics of putting masks on, hands washed, training followed are an investment, helping avoid costly prosecutions, fines and legal fees and reputational damage, all while protecting the farms most valuable asset – the farmer.
Obviously, part of my job is to ensure our company broiler farm is profitable. But profit means nothing if my team members don’t make it home for tea with their families.
So here’s my challenge: when was the last time you properly reviewed your farm’s health and safety practices? If the answer is not recently start today. Because you are irreplaceable to the people waiting for you at home.