Farmers across New Zealand are being recognised for their practical, everyday changes as farm-related ACC injury claims fall sharply. A recent mid-Canterbury farm visit, hosted by arable farmer David Birkett and attended by ACC Associate Minister Nicola Grigg, highlighted the significant grassroots progress being made to reduce harm on farm.

National figures show a substantial drop in farm-related ACC claims, falling from over 25,000 in 2020 to 17,322 last year. Safer Farms credits this encouraging trend to thousands of small, practical decisions being made by farmers, growers, and contractors in sheds, yards, and around kitchen tables nationwide.

Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson emphasised that while the progress belongs to rural teams who know their land and people best, the job is far from done. Through the sector’s Farm Without Harm strategy and investment from ACC, Safer Farms continues to support farmers with useful, real-world tools—such as fitting crush protection devices and adopting risk-monitoring technology—to ensure everyone gets home safe at the end of the day.

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