Carmen Wood of Sanquhar near Dumfries knows all too well the impact an accident with livestock can have after she suffered serious injury nine years ago.
Handling livestock always involves risks, from crushing and kicking to butting. Sadly, over the last 10 years, nine people have been killed in livestock-related incident on Scottish farms.
Top safety tips:
• The risk is greater if the animals have not been handled frequently
• Never underestimate the risks, even with good precautions in place
• You should have proper handling facilities, that are well maintained and in good working order
• a race and a crush suitable for the animals to be handled
• trained and competent staff and
• a selection of breeding animals with the aim to improve herd temperament
CASE STUDY: CARMEN WOOD, SANQUHAR
Carmen Wood and her family know all too well the impact an accident suffered when working with livestock can have. She suffered serious injury after a newly-calved Aberdeen Angus cow turned on her nine years ago.
Carmen, who still suffers from the effects of the accident, had been moving a small group of cow and calves with her husband Rog on their hill farm Auchentaggart, near Sanquhar.
Rog, who is currently the farming correspondent for The Herald newspaper, had gone ahead in the Land Rover to open a gate, when the beast turned on Carmen without warning.
The cow knocked her to the ground, gored her with its head and trampled her. That left her seriously injured and fighting for her life in the Intensive Care Unit at Dumfries Royal Infirmary. There followed a lengthy life-saving operation involving 30 pints of blood and the removal of her right lung and two ribs.
After spending three weeks in intensive care, Carmen went on to develop serious complications when the cavity where her lung had been became infected with a cocktail of infections that included MRSA and a very persistent strain of pseudomonas. Following several months in hospital fighting those infections she then went on to have further major surgery to her chest.
Not surprisingly, after several near-death experiences and lengthy periods of considerable pain, Carmen suffered from depression and became dependent on anti-depressants that required further treatment and therapy.
Although she has now made a good recovery, she still suffers pain, her posture and mobility has been affected and she suffers badly when she gets an infection in her remaining lung.
The accident also had a profound effect on the rest of the family, including the couple's two daughters and grandson.
Rog and Carmen worked the farm between them, with Carmen looking after it when Rog was away tending to his extensive off-farm business activities. With Rog committed to nursing his recuperating wife, and the farm not financially viable if full-time staff had to be employed, the decision was made to give up farming eight years ago.
So a moment’s madness by a cow nine years ago completely changed the couples' lives forever. The incident should make us think more carefully about how we handle livestock, and newly-calved cows in particular. Carmen was fortunate that Rog was near at hand with a Land Rover and managed to summon medical assistance quickly. She could just as easily been alone and lain unattended for hours, which in her case would have been fatal.
We should all learn lessons from Carmen's tragic accident and think very carefully before working with cattle to ensure it's done as safely as possible. ‘Be wary’ should always be our motto. Ends
Notes to Editors
• Photographs of Carmen and husband Rog are available upon request by emailing media@nfus.org.uk or calling 0131 472 4106
• Farm Safety Week was first launched in 2013 and aims to cut the toll of accidents which give agriculture the poorest record of any occupation in the UK and Ireland. This year’s Farm Safety Week is being supported by a great number of organisations than ever before, including the Farm Safety Foundation, Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health and Safety Authority, Ireland.
• This year’s Farm Safety Week takes place from July 6 to 10 and case studies are available during this week covering falls, livestock, machinery, transport and child safety.
• If using social media to promote Farm Safety Week please use the hashtag #FarmSafetyWeek
More Information from Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006