However, agriculture remains the industry with the highest rate of fatal injuries.

The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been published during Farm Safety Week designed to highlight the risks farmers face every day.

The statistics reveal a fall in fatal accidents this year to 29 workers and seven members of the public - this is down from 35 workers and six members of the public in 2011/12.

The Farm Safety Partnership, which is chaired by the NFU, is an industry-led initiative committed to improving agriculture’s safety record and to help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries.

NFU regulatory affairs adviser Benjamin Ellis said: "It is sad that agriculture has retained the highest fatal accident rate for a number of years now. But we are actively working hard to try to improve the safety record of the industry. The Farm Safety Partnership is leading the way in raising awareness with each organisation that is represented dedicated to raising safety standards.

"The NFU meets with our members regularly to discuss the importance of on-farm safety and we produce a number of safety related briefings and business guides to help farms consider the risks from their activities."

"It is vital that everyone in the industry plays their part to help improve standards - simple measures like informing someone of what you are doing, taking a charged mobile phone in your pocket and knowing that a 999 call doesn’t need signal from your provider can save your life; but it is also important that people take action to prevent accidents from occurring like following the safe stop procedure (hand brake on, controls in neutral, engine off, keys out) and not cutting corners and taking risks such as when working at height or handling livestock.

"The NFU is committed to helping to reduce these accident statistics and believe that a good safety record is proof of a professional, modern industry."