James Leech died in hospital nine days after he was rammed several times against a gate by a Holstein friesian bull weighing around a tonne.
Stafford Crown Court heardthat on 9 July 2012 Mr Leech was moving cows and the bull into a cubicle shed at Dunston Dairy Farm, run by Betholt Ltd, of which Mr Mark Holt is a director.
HSE investigated the incident andfound Betholt Ltd and Mr Holt had failed to plan against the risks posed by working with cattle which led to Mr Leech’s death.
Mark Holtwas sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay costs of £10,073 after admitting breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and Regulation 3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.Betholt Ltd of Winton House, Stoke Road, Stoke on Trent, was fined £133,333 and ordered to pay costs of £19,421 after admitting the same two breaches.
It is important to have good and suitable facilities and systems for handling livestock, both for your and your animals safety, and the law requires farmers to assess and control risks from work activities so far as is reasonably practicable. Guidance on how to improve a livestock handling system and make it safer and more efficient can be found here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/topics/livestock.htm
More information can be found here: http://www.nfuonline.com/business/farm-safety/farm-safety-partnership/campaigns/safe-cattle-handling/