Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is using its appearance at the Dairy Event and Livestock Show to warn farmers about bale handling hazards, following a series of accidents in recent months.
Its advisers will tell visitors to this week’s event at the NEC about claims for three serious incidents involving hay bales.
Two of the accidents involved the farmer’s family members. In one case, a farmer’s daughter was working in a farm building when a hay bale fell from a nearby stack of bales, and landed on her.
NFU adviser Ben Coates said: "Bales, particularly large round ones, can be extremely heavy.
“When moving them around, make sure you use the correct equipment, such as a bale spike. To prevent the structure collapsing, remove bales in the reverse order to which they were stacked. People should also be kept well away from the stack while the bales are being moved."
The National All Breeds Show and the New Smithfield are among the new attractions at this year’s Dairy Event and Livestock Show.
The UK’s largest livestock business event runs today (Tuesday) and tomorrow and will be opened this morning by the agriculture minister Jim Paice.
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