Midlands farmer killed after bull handling incident

The incident happened on a farm in Herefordshire, West Mercia Police said
The incident happened on a farm in Herefordshire, West Mercia Police said

Safety precautions have been highlighted after a farmer from the Midlands was killed following a bull handling incident.

The tragic incident occurred on Saturday 8 August on a farm in Herefordshire, West Mercia Police confirmed.

It is thought the farmer was returning the bull from the field to the pen.

"We were called to a medical incident at a farm in Herefordshire at around 2.30pm on Saturday (August 8)," the force said.

"Sadly a man was pronounced dead at the scene.

"There were no suspicious circumstances and we referred the incident to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which is leading on the matter."

A HSE spokesperson reminded farmers of the utmost need to take proper precautions when working with livestock.

"Carrying out tasks on unrestrained cattle or with makeshift equipment dramatically increases the risk of injury from crushing, kicking, butting or goring," a spokesperson said.

Figures show that over the past year, a total of 21 people in Britain were killed in agriculture, consisting of 20 workers and 1 member of the public - a four year old child.

Agriculture has the highest rate of fatal injury - 18 times higher than the all-industry rate, accounting for around 20% of worker fatalities.