Rethinking Working Conditions and Social Sustainability in European Family Farming

Dr. David Meredith is a Senior Research Officer at Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, where he leads the Department of AgriFood Business and Spatial Analysis. He serves as Principal Investigator for the Horizon Europe SafeHabitus project (2023-2026) and previously led the Irish RENEW2050 and BeSAFE projects, developing evidence-based interventions to improve farmer safety, occupational health, and mental wellbeing. His research examines the social and economic factors that influence farmer behaviour and safety practices, translating findings into actionable policy recommendations and practical resources for agricultural advisors and policymakers at national and EU levels. Dr. Meredith has published extensively on farm safety and rural occupational health, and currently supervises a team of PhD and Post-Doctoral researchers in these fields. He holds a PhD in Human Geography from Maynooth University and a Higher Diploma in Statistics from Trinity College Dublin, enabling him to combine rigorous quantitative analysis with applied social research to address critical safety and wellbeing challenges in agriculture.