A 47-year-old father of seven children was killed by a bull he was moving off his farm for slaughter, near Nenagh, Co Tipperary, yesterday morning.Mr Eamon Corcoran, Curragharneen, Dolla, was loading the animal on to a vehicle with the help of his wife and a neighbour when the accident happened
.It is understood he had been having difficulty with the animal's behaviour in recent weeks and had decided to have it destroyed.
Mr Corcoran was crushed to death by the beast against a wall as he attempted to move it away from other stock.
Mr Corcoran, who was well known in farming circles in the North Tipperary area, is survived by his wife and children, aged between one and 15.
Yesterday's accident was the sixth fatal farm accident so far this year.
Since 1991, 28 people, including three children, have been killed by livestock.
A Department of Agriculture and Food spokesman warned farmers last night to be aware of the dangers from livestock.
Offering his sympathy to Mr Corcoran's family, he said that an investigation into the accident would be held by the Health and Safety Authority.