Farm Family Key Skills providing lifesaving skills for Farm Families

Date published: 03 October 2018

Since March 2018 over 500 farm family members and farm employees throughout Northern Ireland have attended First Aid Awareness training provided by CAFRE.

Pat McNeill and daughter Laura Morgan from Annalcone receiving their Farm Family First aid box after completing the First Aid awareness course.

This training is free and covers lifesaving skills which can help all family members and employees deal with an accident on farm. The course covers:

  • Dealing with a medical emergency on farm;
  • Basic First Aid procedures for common farm based injuries;
  • How to use the contents of a First Aid kit; and
  • Technologies to aid lone farm workers in an emergency.

During 2019 we aim to train another 1000 farm family members and employees throughout Northern Ireland in First Aid… but we need your help. 

The following dates have been set up in various areas across Northern Ireland and you can book a place now. Alternatively your local area can request to host a course in your area.

FIRST AID AWARENESS WORKSHOPS IN YOUR AREA

October - November 2018

DATE TIME LOCATION
Tuesday 16 October 7:00pm Swatragh Mart, 29 Garvagh Road, Swatragh, BT46 5QE
Monday 22 October 7:00pm Markethill Mart, Cladymilltown Road, BT60 1RS
Thursday 8 November 7:00pm Dungannon Mart, 90 Granville Road, Dungannon, BT70 1NJ

The residents of the Co Down village of Annaclone welcomed the recent opportunity for over 35 farmers and family members to become trained in first aid. Each participant got involved in demonstrating practice lifesaving skills during the workshop and left the training with the new skills, a first aid book and fully stocked farm family first aid box.

Pat McNeill and his daughter Laura Morgan were just one farm family to attend the training. Pat said: “This training is hopefully something we will never need to use on farm, but if I was faced with an accident then I feel a lot better prepared following the course.”

Living in a rural area can result in longer response times and those initial few minutes could make a real impact on the outcome following an accident. Pat’s daughter Laura said: “As a farm family member I am likely to come upon a family member following an accident. This course has given me more confidence to do the right thing and hopefully limit the impact the accident could have until the medical team would arrive.”

With up to 100 accidents occurring each month on Northern Ireland farms which need medical attention, training for all farm family members is essential.

Why not organise a workshop in your area, or alternatively attend one of the courses already set up at the locations shown above. There is no cost to host the training in your area or to attend a pre-arranged course. Every trainee will receive a complimentary First Aid Kit. A maximum of 20 people can attend. The workshops are very popular - so remember to book your place and don’t miss out by contacting Global Horizon Skills on: 028 8225 6772 or email: info@ghskills.com.

Existing workshops are advertised on the CAFRE website.

This training is provided as part of the Farm Family Key Skills [FFKS] scheme under the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS) part of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020 which receives co-financing from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).  

Since 2016 over 3,500 farm family members and employees have attended FFKS training across Northern Ireland on Farm Health & Safety, First Aid, Farm Business Taxation and Succession Planning, Pig Health, Biosecurity and Interpretation of Soil Analysis.

For more information on any other FFKS Training, email: kt.admin@daera-ni.gov.uk or telephone: 028 9442 6790.

Notes to editors: 

  1. Farm Family Key Skills aims is to increase the levels of knowledge and skills in agricultural and commercial horticulture businesses.
  2. Managed by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), the programme is funded through the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme with support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
  3. The department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the department’s internal records management system. The department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
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  5. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office, pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or tel: 028 9052 4619.

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