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Two farmers have been killed and two seriously injured as a result of livestock attacks recently.
A man in his sixties was killed on a farm in Co. Galway, Ireland. This followed the death of a farmer in his seventies, killed by a cow on his farm in in Mullaghbawn, south Armagh – a death which had ‘shocked the local community’.
Armagh Sinn Féin Councillor Mickey Larkin told the BBC ‘any death on a farm is one too many’.
Being killed by livestock is the second highest cause of death in farming, according to the latest HSE annual workplace fatality statistics.
An ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude is easy to adopt when working with animals day in, day out and things like habit, haste and fatigue can lead to an accident which can often be avoided, warns the Farm Safety Foundation.
It offers these tips: -
Source: Farm Safety Foundation
The Farm Safety Foundation works closely with young people to highlight the consequences of having a life changing accident.
The #SeeItChangeIt campaign also launched at the recent NFU conference, where individuals pledged to change at least one thing to improve the safety and wellbeing on their farm, consider poor worker attitudes to safety and challenging poor practice.