The New South Wales government has brought back a scheme that paid farmers to improve their safety.

The Sheep and Beef Cattle Industry Rebate has been reopened, aimed at assisting farmers to adopt better work health and safety procedures.

The scheme pays rebates of up to $2,000 for purchases of equipment or training to boost safe practice. Rebates were first made in October 2013, receiving over 1700 applications.

“There is no higher priority from a work health and safety perspective than reducing the high rate of accidents that are happening on farms,” said New South Wales Minister for Finance, Andrew Constance.

“There are too many deaths and too many injuries.

“Farmers have to be more conscious of the dangers their profession brings to their livelihoods.

“We are investing in this way to reduce the heartache caused by a farm death or injury.”

“Sheep, beef and cattle farming is one of the State’s highest risk industries with 1,458 injuries and illnesses, including seven fatalities, occurring over the three years to July 2011,” said Mr Constance.

“The NSW Government is determined to ensure farmers are properly supported to provide better work health safety procedures, and that’s what this rebate is designed to do.”

More information is available at the NSW WorkCover website.