Safety calls after farm death of 10-year-old boy
A 10-year-old boy has died in a farm accident in the latest in a series of tragedies to hit the farming community in Northern Ireland.
The boy, named locally as Aaron Macaulay, died following an accident at a farm near Castlewellan, County Down, on Tuesday (30 July).
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said the boy died after falling from a farm vehicle shortly before 2.30pm.
He was airlifted to Craigavon Area Hospital, but he could not be saved. His teenage brother Matthew was also injured in the accident, but is recovering in hospital.
The Northern Ireland Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) is examining the cause of the death.
A spokesman said: “HSENI is investigating the death of a 10-year-old boy on a County Down farm. Our deepest sympathies are with the family at this most difficult time.”
Harry Sinclair, president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy’s family at this very difficult time.
“It has been a very bad week for the farming community in Northern Ireland and everyone is grieving. It’s a tragic reminder just how dangerous farms are.”
The boy’s death is the third tragedy to hit the province in a week and it has sparked calls for farm safety to be taken more seriously.
Last week, father-of-three Henry Allen, 70, died after falling from a silo wall while working with silage on his farm in Co Derry.
Earlier, six-year-old Harry Starrett died after collapsing in a milking parlour at his family farm on the outskirts of Armagh.
In 2012, 12 people died in farm accidents in Northern Ireland, including Ulster rugby star Nevin Spence, his father and brother. While 12 people died in 2011 in the province in farm accidents.
Up to last week, two people had died on farms in Northern Ireland in 2013.
The Farm Safety Partnership was launched last May, a project aimed at reducing the number of deaths on farms in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sinclair said: “The campaign will make a difference, but it will take time before we see real change.
“We have had two or three weeks of good weather and there is an awful lot of work to do on the ground. My main message to farmers would be to take a step back and think about safety.
“Most of our farms are family farms. It’s the summer holidays and the whole family is there, which means there are higher risks.
“We need to get the message out about farm safety to the whole family – not just the farmer.”