At the fifth National Arable and Grassland Awards, Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer and Agronomist & Arable Farmer celebrate the brightest and best within the agricultural industry.
Lincolnshire contractor and former chair of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), James Bannister, is a true ambassador for health and safety within agriculture; using his real-life experience to highlight the devastating impact of accidents on-farm, while also showing that a life-changing injury does not have to stop continuing within the industry.
A momentary lapse in concentration 27 years ago meant that James lost his left arm. However, this has not stopped him from building his own contracting business, offering lime, muck and biosolid spreading to farms across Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. When not working in the field, he has used his experience to work with various organisations to give talks, not only explaining what happened to him but also highlighting how small changes in attitude and preparation can avoid more injuries and deaths in the industry.
Talks have been given to both farmers and contractors in association with the NAAC and James works with the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) for Farm Safety Week, appearing on news programmes to discuss his accident. He is also a supporter of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, who were key to getting James to a hospital in a timely manner after his accident.
He has been open not only about the physical impact of his injury – he has had to invest heavily in machines with continuously variable transmission, as well as haulage equipment to effectively move machinery around – but he is also open about the toll on his mental health. He acknowledges that the accident is still difficult to talk about, however, the feedback he’s received is that the visual impact of him missing an arm is effective in really driving home the consequences of an accident in this industry.
While the main aim is to reduce the number of incidents on-farm, James has also been a positive force in showing that an accident does not have to stop someone from being involved. In a previous interview, we conducted with James, he said that if he had listened to the doctors, he would not be where he is today. While he has had to adjust his work and life to accommodate his injury, he has been able to continue working in an industry he is passionate about.
There are few people who have brought such a personal experience to the fight against farming’s poor health and safety record. His work across multiple organisations, as well as his continued contracting work, make James a true ambassador within the industry and a truly deserving recipient of the first Andrew Lawman Safety Award.
The National Arable and Grassland Awards are organised by Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer and Agronomist & Arable Farmer, in association with BASIS, the National Association of Agricultural Contractors and the Voluntary Initiative.
Our thanks to our sponsors AHDB, QLF and principal sponsors Barclays and Propel Finance.