Farmer killed by bull after TB test crush

Maldwyn Harries pictured with his family

A farmer was killed by a bull during a TB test of cattle, an inquest has found.

Maldwyn Harries, 58, from Cefn Rhiwlas farm, near Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, was knocked unconscious by the animal and later died.

Mr Harries was crushed after being pinned against a wall while helping to gather the cattle for the test, the hearing at Llanelli town hall was told.

Coroner Paul Bennett recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

After Mr Harries was injured, "best efforts" were made to save him by emergency responders, said coroner's officer Hayley Rogers, which included giving him a blood transfusion.

A post-mortem examination found he died from multiple traumatic injuries to his chest, abdomen and spinal column.

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Mr Harries, a father of seven, had been testing a herd for the disease with his son Mark, other members of his family and a local veterinarian on 23 September 2022.

He had to enter a cattle stall in an attempt to move one bull towards a cattle crush - a cage that holds large animals while they are inspected - for the TB test, explained Simon Breen, an inspector with the Health and Safety Executive.

Maldwyn Harries was crushed by a bull at Cefn Rhiwlas Farm near Llandeilo in September last year

Normally the bull could be coaxed by leaning over the railing from an adjacent stall and tapping his nose, Mr Breen said, but the animal refused to move on that occasion.

It was subsequently destroyed after testing positive for TB.

Mr Breen confirmed the farm had all the "correct equipment" for the test.

In recording his conclusion of accidental death, the coroner said the incident was a sad example of an "unusual and infrequent occasion" when somebody doing "valuable work as part of the farming community" had lost their life.

He said Mr Harries "had not anticipated the fatal consequences" of his actions.

The coroner told Mr Harries' family at the inquest that "he couldn't imagine the impact" of losing him and "dealing with the ongoing situation" of dealing with TB on the farm.