Disabled Farmers
From the collection of
From the collection of
An accident changes a farmers day to day.
At 16 farmer Andrew Widger was involved in a moped crash, at 22 he struggles to walk distances, yet he continues to work on a dairy farm at Modbury. The Manpower Services Commission (MSC) helps Andrew by paying a percentage of his wages and purchasing for him a quadbike. It helps him significantly, allowing him to complete the majority of his daily tasks on the farm. He gets tired more quickly and cannot lift heavy objects but is still optimistic that he can own his own dairy farm in the future despite the challenging prospects of the industry.
A Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution spokesperson explains the processes by which disabled farmers can seek support from the government and the charity. A problem the RABI face is that many farmers do not like asking for help, often turning to the charity in their 70s when they could have asked for the same help 20 years earlier.
Farm machinery is the main culprit for farming injuries, along with being crushed by trees or livestock. Farmers can suffer hearing loss from loud machinery, as well as farmer's lung, a disease caused by an allergy to the mould and dust in certain crops, such as hay and grain, and some pesticides. The aim of charities like the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution is to keep farmers in work by providing them with the little extra help they need, or to ensure they are compensated and looked after by various farming support bodies.