A recent study has shown that new technologies on farms has added to the stress experienced by farmers on a daily basis.

The research was conducted by ZRC SAZU in Slovenia and presented at an on-line European webinar on farm health and safety hosted by SafeHabitus.

The study, led by Dr Majda Cernic Istenic, found that systems such as automatic milking machines were discussed frequently in literature to remove monotonous tasks and improve farm efficiency.

Speaking at the discussion, Dr Istenic said more flexibility in your farm life doesn’t necessarily equate to having less stress.

“The overall burden of information from new technology can lead to ‘techno-stress’ among farmers.

“New technologies allow farmers to expand and become more productive. As a result, farmers have reported that their workload has increased because they have to manage more animals to justify the investment.”

However, Dr Istenic added that technology has allowed farmers to come together to share their problems.

“Those farmers who connected with other farmers experienced the introduction of new technologies more easily and with less stress.”

Webinars

Teagasc will be managing two more free to attend webinars on farm safety.

These will cover understanding EU farm injury data, on 9 September, and keeping children safe on the farm on 11 September with both taking place between 2pm and 3:30pm.