Resilient Farmers Conference- Farmers Health & Wellbeing – Building a Community of Support

Thursday April 25, Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise

10am – 3.50pm

Embrace Farm wishes to invite you to the “Resilient Farmers’ Conference – Farmer’s Health & Well-being: building a community of support” in conjunction with

Rural Support (Northern Ireland) and Farm Safety Foundation (UK) on April 25 in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise.

The objectives of the day are to:

• Highlight the issues impacting farmers health and well-being and the responsibility of Government

and Industry. (Healthy Farmers, Healthy Farms, Healthy Sector / Society)

• Ensure stakeholders and policy makers understand and act on the fact that farmers health and resilience is everyone’s business.

• Identify opportunities and way forward to collaborate in our own community and across these islands.

The event opens with Mairead McGuinness MEP & Vice President of European Parliament delivering a welcome address.

This conference will be compered by Damien O’Reilly from RTE Countrywide radio programme with key note speakers

from Rural Support, Farm Safety Foundation and Embrace FARM.

Speakers from the health and education sectors will give first-hand accounts as will farmers themselves to show the resilience and adversity this sector faces daily.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided on the day and everybody is welcome to attend.

The idea for this conference came from Jude McCann, Chief Executive of Rural Support (N.Ireland) who is organising a similar conference on March 27 at Greenmount College in Antrim.

NFU Mutual HQ are also organising a conference on May 21 at Stratford-Upon-Avon.

The organisers plan is to develop tangible actions and recommendations/report covering all three events in due course.

Conference Agenda

Compere: Damien O’Reilly, Presenter RTE Countrywide programme.

10am – Opening remarks – Mairead McGuinness MEP

10.15 – Welcome Note – Brian Rohan – Chairperson/Co-Founder Embrace FARM

10.30 – Fireside Chat – Issues affecting Rural Life – Maria Feeney (Dept. Sociology DCU),

Farmers’ Experience Surviving a Farming Accident – William Sayer & Kevin McGarry.

Followed by Q & A.

11.30 – BREAK

12.00 – Context: Farmers’ Health: Jude McCann (CEO Rural Support & Nuffield Scholarship) – Increasing Resilience & Knowledge Transfer

12.15 – Fireside Chat – Gina O’Dowd (Counsellor/Psychotherapist of Counselling West) – understanding health & wellbeing for farmers.

Women in Agriculture – Alison Duck – Women overcoming adversity in farming

and Ann Doherty – Living with Pain. Followed by Q & A

13.15 – LUNCH

14.15 – Context – Amii McKeever (Editor, Irish Country Living) – What can we do to build a Community of Support?

14.25 – Fireside Chat Aisling Meehan (Agricultural Solicitors), Eamonn O’Reilly (or Representative AIB Bank), FBD Insurance Representative.

Followed by Q & A

15.00 – Call to Action: Make a Pledge! – Stephanie Berkeley (Farm Safety Foundation UK) – Yellow Wellies Campaign

15.15 – Closing Comments – Trouw Nutrition Representative TBC

 15.25 – Final Acknowledgements – Norma Rohan