'Never turn your back on a cow': TD tells of lucky escape as calving season begins

Farmers are being urged to take safety precautions during calving season, as the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) launches a two week farm safety inspection campaign.

In the past five years, 18 people have lost their lives on farms in Ireland due to livestock-related incidents.

Calving season is a particularly high risk period for farmers, as cows can become aggressive if they perceive a farmer as a threat to their calf.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy Rae urged farmers to take care during the season: "The message is you can't be careful enough."

He described an incident when he himself was knocked unconscious by a normally quiet cow after getting between her and her calf in a pen.

"It was a particular cow, a quiet, older cow, but when she saw me taking the calf she got me down on the ground and whatever way I hit my head on a barrier I was knocked out."

"A cow doesn't kick you when you're on the ground," he continued. "What a cow will do is they'll stand up on top of you and pull back their leg.

According to Mr Healy Rae, a number of other cows also took exception to his actions, as a few more "joined in and they had a right party up on top of me."

Luckily, two people nearby were able to get him out of the pen, throwing him over a barrier into a silage heap in their haste to both rescue Mr Healy Rae and avoid running afoul of the angered cows.

"I didn't have my eyes open, that was the long and the short of it," the Kerry TD said.

The HSA has embarked on a two week inspection campaign of selected farms with a focus on safe management of livestock, given the increased risk to farmers at this time of year.

Assistant chief executive of the HSA Mark Cullen highlighted the need for farmers to have a safety plan in place, and not to be complacent with their animals, no matter how familiar they might be with them.

"Never turn your back on a cow, but put in place adequate control measures," he said.

He also urged farmers to rest properly during calving season and avoid working when fatigued, as this increases risk of accidents.