Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2015 Launch Cancelled Due to Safety Concerns

Charlottetown, PEI, March 17, 2015: Canadian Agricultural Safety Week 2015 presented by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) launch has been cancelled due to a major blizzard that dumped 48 centimeters of snow on Charlottetown.

Each year, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) team up to present Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW). CASW is an annual public education campaign focusing on the importance of safe agriculture. 2015 marks the first time in the Canadian Agricultural Safety Week’s history that the launch has not taken place.

“Safety is our number one priority,” says Marcel Hacault, Executive Director of CASA. “The decision to cancel, although disappointing, wasn’t difficult. Farm Safety isn’t just about this one event. Farm Safety is important 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

The theme of Canadian Agricultural Safety week is Be the Difference, and organisers want to inspire all Canadians to become farm safety champions through feature champion testimonials, farmer resources and a #GrowSafety social media contest.

“Although disappointing that the official launch of CASW in PEI was cancelled, CASA demonstrated real leadership in putting safety first, says Alan Hastie, Canadian Branded Reseller Manager from Imperial. “What is great about CASW is that it isn’t just one event, limited to one location. CASW is national in scope and with the power of social media, has the potential to impact farmers from coast to coast. I encourage all who are involved in the agricultural industry to take time this week to think about what safety means to them, and to, of course, enter the #GrowSafety contest.”

The #GrowSafety contest runs until March 21st. There are daily prizes and two grand prizes of 1000 litres of fuel. To enter, simply use the hashtag #GrowSafety on Twitter or Instagram and share what makes you a farm safety champion. For more information visit agsafetyweek.ca.

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week takes place every year during the third week of March. This year, CASW runs from March 15th to 21st. For more information about CASW or to access CASW media kits, please visit agsafetyweek.ca. Media kits include press releases, feature safety champion articles, safety advice articles, psas, graphics and more.

CASW 2015 is presented by Farm Credit Canada and brought to you by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture with assistance from the Government of Canada through Growing Forward 2, a federal, provincial and territorial initiative. In 2015, CASW sponsors include long-time corporate sponsor Farm Credit Canada, Imperial Oil and its Esso Branded Resellers, Ag for Life, Canadian Fertilizer Institute, Dupont Pioneer, Viterra and Brandt.

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