Irish Rural Link open applications for national community-led farm safety programme
Today, Irish Rural Link has announced that primary schools nationwide can sign up for the AgriKids Farm Safety Ambassador Programme. Now in its third year, the popular initiative brings practical, curriculum-embedded farm safety education into classrooms while strengthening connections with local farming communities.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the initiative reached a total of 17,000 primary school pupils nationwide in 2025/26 and provided participating teachers with the tools to educate students about farm safety through engaging, age-appropriate resources.
Speaking about the programme, Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Niall Collins TD, said:
“I am delighted to provide funding for the extension of the AgriKids Farm Safety Ambassador programme for the new school year. I urge all primary schools around the country to avail of the programme, which I am confident will continue to make an important contribution to educating primary school pupils on keeping safe on farms. ”.
Community in the Classroom
Through the initiative, schools are encouraged to bring real-world learning opportunities to classrooms by reaching out to local farmers, veterinarians, first responders and other agri representatives to deliver in-school talks and demonstrations. This approach helps children understand the realities of farm life while empowering them to become ambassadors for safe behaviours at home and in their communities.
About the Programme
The programme offers participating schools two flexible formats, the AgriKids Farm Safety Hour and the more immersive AgriKids Farm Safety Day, to embed farm safety into the curriculum.
The Farm Safety Hour offers a concise, introductory framework for farm safety, covering specific topics supported by resources available on the AgriKids website.
Alternatively, schools can run a Farm Safety Day, choosing one of three themes for their day: Farm and Field Safety, Tractor and Machinery Safety, or Animal Safety and Wellbeing. On completion of one of the specific days, the participating schools will earn one themed pennant. When schools complete three Farm Safety Days and collect all three pennants, they will receive the prestigious Farm Safety Ambassador Flag. Schools that choose to run a Farm Safety Day are also eligible to apply for the AgriKids Farm Safety Ambassador Awards.
Minister Collins added:
“Livestock and machinery can be appealing to children, but it is important that they are educated about the risks that are ever-present on farms and understand that fields and farmyards are not playgrounds. By participating in this programme, which is designed to engage pupils through learning that is fun and educational, children will be encouraged to adopt a positive approach to farm safety from a young age”.
Irish Rural Link CEO, Briain Smyth, said:
“Farm safety is not a conversation that belongs solely on the farm but needs to be embedded into our communities and daily lives. Through this programme, pupils can learn lessons that extend beyond the classroom and into homes, farms and localities. By empowering children to become Farm Safety Ambassadors, we are helping to build a stronger culture of safety for future generations.”
Farm Safety Ambassador Awards
The Farm Safety Ambassador Awards celebrate schools that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to farm safety education, offering the opportunity to be awarded cash prizes that will be invested into current and future school initiatives. The categories include Best Farm Safety Ambassador, Best Learning Initiatives,Best Class and Best School.
How to Apply
Schools can sign up to participate in the programme here ahead of the closing date of March 19th 2027. For eligible schools that take part in the programme, award nominations open on 12th March 2027 and close on May 21st 2027, with winners announced in June.
Visit agrikids.ie for more information on the initiative.
About AgriKids
AgriKids is a farm safety educational platform for children. It was founded in 2015 by Alma Jordan with the ethos that we positively engage, educate and empower our children to become Farm Safety Ambassadors.
Through supported learning programmes for schools, utilising age-appropriate resources such as workbooks, storybooks, digital games and workshops, the AgriKids approach has become the leader in farm safety education for children. In 2025, AgriKids moved under the Irish Rural Link umbrella of grass root and community development projects.
About Irish Rural Link
Irish Rural link was established in 1991 to represent the interests of locally based rural groups in disadvantaged and marginalised rural areas at local, National and EU Level. Their mission is to influence, inform on local, national and European development policies in favour of rural communities, especially those marginalised as a result of rural poverty, exclusion and isolation, and support rural communities to implement appropriate strategic programmes that improve their circumstances.
About the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine funded programme
Farming continues to be the most dangerous occupation in terms of fatalities in the workplace, with children and the elderly particularly vulnerable. Following a competitive tender, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (‘DAFM’) awarded the contract for the provision of a children’s farm safety initiative to Irish Rural Link’s for its AgriKids – Farm Safety Ambassador Programme. The programme aims to help address children’s safety on Irish farms by assisting teachers in educating their pupils about the potential dangers associated with farming and agriculture.
