Farmer’s lucky escape after bull attack

A 57-year-old Northern Ireland farmer has escaped with his life after the four-year-old bull he was loading on to a trailer turned and attacked him.

Beef farmer Ciaran McFadden managed to run and hide under a slurry tanker but the bull attacked the piece of machinery and tried to overturn it.

Ciaran, who has bred Charolais cattle for more than 30 years, says he is lucky to be alive following the attack last Monday on his farm near the village of Mountfield.

His terrifying ordeal lasted for 15 minutes before Ciaran managed to call a neighbouring farmer on his mobile phone who came and coaxed the animal away with a tractor.

The farmer escaped with only an injured shoulder following the attack which is the latest in a series of incidents involving bulls in Northern Ireland.

Ciaran said: “I’m so lucky to be alive. The bull turned on me as I was loading him on to a trailer to take him to the mart.

“All I could think of was that I wouldn’t see another day.

“The whole thing probably lasted about 15 minutes, but I was drifting in and out and it seemed an awful lot longer with a bull trying to get at me.”

He added: “This bull was born and reared on my farm without any bother, but he’s not about now.”

Mr McFadden says he hopes his ordeal will further increase awareness of how dangerous livestock can be.