Bringing farm safety to the classroom
Teagasc is proud to announce the launch of the ‘Stay Safe with Jessy’ farm safety art competition and webinar, a new initiative aimed at promoting farm safety among children. The competition invites all primary school going children across Ireland to participate in creating pieces of art that highlight the importance of safety practices in agriculture, and on Irish farms. To enter the competition and register for the webinar please visit www.teagasc.ie/jessy
The art competition will be followed by a live webinar on Thursday, June 19, at 11am. This 40-minute webinar, hosted by Alison Maloney of Teagasc, will be live streamed from our Teagasc studio in Oak Park, Carlow. Joining Alison in studio will be Jessy the Sheepdog and Francis Bligh, Farm Safety Specialist in Teagasc, and they will be going live to St Joseph’s National School in Rathwire, County Westmeath, where Alma Jordan from Agrikids will be discussing farm safety with students in the school.
During the webinar on June 19, winners of the art competition will be announced.
There are three categories for prizes in the art competition, from which there will be an overall winner and a runner up in each category. These categories are: Junior and Senior Infants; First - Third Class; and Fourth - Sixth Class. Get your entries in quick as the closing date for the competition is Friday, June 6, at 5pm.
Prizes up for grabs in the art competition include Smyths Toys Vouchers to the value of €100 for each category winner and an Agrikids Farm Safety Workshop with Alma Jordan for their school during the 2025/2026 school year. There will be three category runners up who will each receive a Smyths Toys Voucher to the value of €25.
In addition, each winner will receive a Lily Nolan Memorial Trophy for their school. Jessy the Sheepdog was originally developed in 2007 by the late Lily Nolan of Teagasc, and the HSA. The storyline in the original book follows a dog called Jessy and her three puppies as they encounter various dangers on the farm. The book is available to download at www.teagasc.ie/staysafewithjessy
Francis Bligh, Farm Safety Specialist in Teagasc said: “Farms can be dangerous places, especially for children. Through this campaign we will be highlighting the main dangers and risks on farms, and how to avoid them, and stay safe.”