Launched in July with funding from Rabobank, ANZCO, LIC, Craigmore Sustainables and PGG Wrightson (PGW), the Safer Rides initiative from Farm Without Harm was oversubscribed within 36 hours of launch, with all 110 $400 vouchers for Crush Protection Devices (CPDs) allocated to New Zealand farmers. Further discounts offered by CPD retailers Trax Equipment and QuadBar reduced the cost of installing CPDs by up to 75%.  

Those who missed out formed a waitlist, and additional funding from PGW, Silver Fern Farms and FMG enabled a further 43 vouchers to be issued this month. Remaining applicants on the waitlist were offered 15% off CPDs from Quadbar.  

More than half of the applicants were sheep and beef farmers and a third were dairy farmers. For 83.5% of applicants, this will be their first CPD and 79% of applicants had 5 or less team members, highlighting the uptake from smaller farm enterprises.  

On Farm Safety is a Top Priority 

Feedback from applicants showed that while safety of their team was highly important, cost had been a barrier to purchasing a CPD in the past. Here are some examples of their feedback about why they wanted to receive a voucher: 

“I’m often on farm by myself, we’re rolling hills to steeper country and want to feel safer on my quad.” 

“A friend died in an ATV rollover without one.” 

“With young staff employed it was an easy decision to have as a precaution.” 

“Because I had an accident which broke my pelvis, and a CPD may have prevented it.” 

“Getting older, slower reactions.” 

“We want to be as safe as possible on farm so we come home each night to our kids.” 

From Farm Without Harm, “There is a big job ahead to make roll protection more widely available for those who want it. Unfortunately, at the time of rolling out this initiative there were four fatal quad bike rollovers in ten days. The time to make roll protection accessible to all has never been more critical.” 

Be Sure to Redeem Your Voucher 

Wet weather can change the terrain of tracks and paddocks, so be sure to prioritise quad bike safety to reduce accidents and disruptions on farm this spring. To date, 40% of the initial 110 vouchers have been redeemed, so if you received a voucher, this is a great reminder to go forward and purchase your CPD from Trax Equipment or QuadBar. 

If you have a CPD and would like to share your story, get in touch with Farm Without Harm to help them spread the word about quad bike safety. Your case study can help to normalise rollover protection and encourage others to install a CPD too.  

For those that missed out on a CPD voucher, make sure you are signed up to the Farm Without Harm mailing list to hear about their initiatives in the future. 

A huge thank you to Farm Without Harm and the wider Safer Farms team for coordinating the initiative and helping kiwi farmers come home from work safe.