Claim 9189dcfeChecked 21 Jul 2026
TrueOn the truth scale
“These people’s livelihoods are sometimes very dangerous.”
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim asserts that the livelihoods of farmers, deep-sea fishermen, and small shopkeepers are "sometimes very dangerous." This is well-supported by occupational safety data.
**Agriculture/Farming:** The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) consistently reports that agriculture, forestry and fishing has the highest fatal injury rate of all main industry sectors — approximately 21–22 times the all-industry average. Common causes include being struck by moving vehicles, falls, and injuries from animals.
**Deep-sea fishing:** Commercial fishing is internationally recognized as one of the most dangerous occupations. In the United States, the CDC/NIOSH reports a fatality rate of 114 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers during 2000–2017 — roughly 28 times the national average. Norwegian research likewise confirms fishing as having the highest fatality rate of all major employers in Norway. Common hazards include vessel disasters, falls overboard, and gear-related injuries.
**Small shopkeepers:** The wholesale/retail sector actually has a below-average fatality rate (about half the all-industry average according to HSE), so this group is not particularly dangerous by comparison. However, the claim uses the qualifier "sometimes very dangerous," and it is directed at the group collectively. Since farming and deep-sea fishing are overwhelmingly documented as among the most dangerous occupations, and the word "sometimes" is a modest qualifier, the overall assertion is accurate.
Sources: UK Health and Safety Executive, "Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain" (https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/fatalinjuries.pdf); UK HSE, "Agriculture, forestry and fishing statistics in Great Britain" (https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/agriculture.pdf); CDC/NIOSH, "Commercial Fishing" (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/maritime/about/commercial-fishing.html); CDC MMWR, "Commercial Fishing Deaths — United States, 2000–2009" (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5927a2.htm); Norwegian fishing fleet fatality study, ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925753513000714)
From article
You write about how much fun you had, ‘drinking more or less continuously’, and what shedloads of money you were getting. What have you got in common with the kind of people you identify as the rank and file of Ukip: farmers, deep-sea fishermen, small shopkeepers? These are people whose living is often precarious, sometimes very dangerous, never ‘fun’, and they work very hard.
Sources opened
| [1] | hse.gov.uk |
| [2] | hse.gov.uk |
| [3] | hse.gov.uk |
| [4] | hse.gov.uk |
| [5] | astutis.com |
| [6] | cdc.gov |
| [7] | cdc.gov |
| [8] | onlinelibrary.wiley.com |
| [9] | cdc.gov |
| [10] | sciencedirect.com |