Report points to technology as key to safer farms

Author: The Country,
Publish Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2026, 4:13pm

Wairarapa sheep farmer and Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson.

A new report from Safer Farms looks at how technology could improve safety in New Zealand agriculture.

Launched at Fieldays today, Safer By Design: The Role of Technology in Farm Safety focuses on reducing risks before work begins, rather than managing them on the job.

Wairarapa sheep farmer and Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson said progress would depend on how well the sector made that shift.

“We need to treat technology as an essential part of farm systems, not an optional extra, and invest in it alongside productivity and environmental improvements.”

She said technology alone would not improve outcomes.

“It works best when it is built into the way farms operate and backed by the right infrastructure, leadership and behaviours.”

The report says New Zealand agriculture still has high rates of death and serious injury, despite years of rule changes, industry effort and investment in training and awareness.

In November 2024, ACC committed to a five-year partnership with Safer Farms, investing $11 million in the agriculture sector to reduce harm, injuries and fatalities.

The funding supports the sector-wide Farm Without Harm strategy, which is a commitment to drive practical changes to prevent harm. 

In 2025, ACC accepted more than 17,000 work-related agricultural claims and paid $119 million to help people recover.

ACC head of injury prevention Renee Graham said the sector had become better at spotting risk, but now needed to focus on putting safer systems in place.

“Traditional safety approaches focused on training, rules and behaviour still depend on people making the right decision every time.

“That becomes harder when people are tired, under time pressure, dealing with stress, working in changing conditions or on their own.

“The biggest safety gains can come from technology that reduces how much people have to rely on split-second judgment.”

The report shows how tools such as autonomous and remotely operated machinery, drones, virtual livestock systems and automated handling tools can help keep people away from risks such as rollovers, animal interactions, chemicals and dangerous terrain.

Monitoring tools, including proximity sensors, stability alerts, fatigue detection and environmental sensors, can also give real-time warnings and sometimes step in automatically.

However, Nelson said that, for more farmers to take up safety technology, it needed to be seen as part of running a better farm system, not just another compliance task.

“Farmers are more likely to invest in new systems when they also improve productivity, reduce workload, or make the farm run better.

“Safety matters, but it is usually one of several reasons for making a change.

“We now have a chance to move from dealing with risk as it happens to removing more danger before work even starts.

“To do that, we need better infrastructure, stronger leadership, improved connectivity, access to funding, and joined-up action across industry, government and the wider rural sector.”

The report was launched at the PGG Wrightson tent today, and can be downloaded from the Farm Without Harm website.