No bull! Cows are bigger threat
COWS have been revealed as Ireland’s most dangerous animal.
While cows are generally considered to be more docile than bulls, new research has revealed that they are involved in two out of three cases of farm animalrelated traumatic injuries.
A study carried out in the Emergency Department in Cork University Hospital found that cows caused injuries in 65% of cases, followed by bulls in 22% of cases and horses in 3% .
Senior Inspector with the Health and Safety Authority, Pat Griffin, says cow attacks can be devastating. ‘It’s like being hit by a train. I’ve spoken to some farmers who survived being struck. Animals of that size can be over half a tonne. It’s shattering. An aggressive attack by an animal that size is horrendous. There can be crushing to the chest; leg breaks are very common and blunt trauma to the head.’
Between 2007 and 2016, there were 26 farm deaths related to livestock – with these accounting for 13% of overall farm deaths.
In relation to deaths caused by farm animals, he said cow attacks account for around two-thirds of those deaths, making them the country’s most dangerous animal. He said: ‘If we look back over a ten-year period, there are twice as many fatalities caused by cows than bulls.
‘When it comes to calving, they tend to be a lot more aggressive and a lot wilder.’
The study published in this month’s Irish Medical Journal revealed that more than eight out of ten farmers suffering a trauma from an incident with a farm animal are over the age of 40.
Mr Griffin said the advancing age of farmers on today’s farms is contributing to the spike in attacks by farm animals.
The study was co-authored by Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Conor Deasy and Dr. Michael Sheehan. Mr Griffin advised farmers to take livestock courses to help ensure best safety practice in dealing with their animals.