Are you a livestock farmer involved in calving? You could have valuable insight that could help improve livestock safety. Kirsty Sweet tells us more.

Have you experienced an accident or a near miss during the calving period? If so, we want to hear your story.

Accidents with calving cows are more common than you may think! In fact, of all accidents a livestock farmer faces, it ranks the highest.

The 2022 Teagasc National Farm Survey states that over 50% of all farming accidents involved livestock, with incidents involving ‘calving cows’ being the most common. Close to 80% of on-farm accidents needed medical attention, with almost 50% being admitted to hospital for an average of 3 days. Only one in five people didn’t require medical attention following a farming workplace accident (Teagasc, 2022). The cause of livestock injuries and fatalities are often linked to handling facilities and behaviour & attitudes towards risk when handling livestock (HSA, 2020).

By listening to farmers’ stories about their own experiences, this joint UCD/Teagasc study aims to identify the many factors often involved in a livestock accident and help improve safety for livestock farmers during the calving period.

If you have a story to tell about your own experience or close call with calving cows, we would be very grateful to hear from you. Your stories will help shape strategies to provide a safer workplace for livestock farmers.

If you have any questions or would like to share your story, you can contact your Teagasc advisor, or UCD Research Fellow Kirsty Sweet, directly on 090 663 3226 or email kirsty.sweet@teagasc.ie