The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today urged people in the rural parts of the South East to make sure that children don't come to any harm on the farm - especially during what is left of harvest and the all important cultivation period.

A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Mike Walters, said: "Agriculture currently has the highest fatal incident rate of any industry in the UK and is also the only industry that has to deal with the constant presence of children. Farms are homes as well as workplaces and visitors to the countryside, many of whom are children, are often present on farms."

"A fatal incident in May 2006 in which a three-year-old boy was killed at a farm in Marden near Tonbridge Kent, after falling under the wheels of a trailer, highlights the potential dangers for children on farms.

"In the ten years to March 2006, there were 35 child deaths in the UK in agriculture and that is 35 too many. It is extremely important that children are kept safe from danger, after school and at weekends, and that the farmyard is not used as a playground. In particular, farmers and farm workers may be tempted to carry children on tractors and other agricultural machines; this is highly dangerous and illegal."

Of the 35 deaths, nearly half had been struck by a moving vehicle, and asphyxiation and drowning were the cause of another six deaths. Sadly, children have also been killed following a fall from a height, electrocution; contact with machinery and fire accounted for the other loss of lives.

"A simple walk around the farm to check for potential hazards and removing them is quick and easily achieved. Move things that children might be tempted to play with or climb onto and cover and prevent access to things like sheep dip baths and grain silos. Providing a securely fenced play area with enough activities to keep young children occupied is ideal, but, should they wander off, then it's important that everybody working on the farm knows that they should stop work and immediately take that child back to safety.

"We know that farmers are under pressure and there is a lot of work to do, but safety should never be compromised. I would urge all parents to ensure their children take care, and are properly supervised on the farm, so that they do not come to any harm."