Man dies on Cork farm after suspected slurry pit fall

Last 10 years have seen a total of 210 deaths on farms and in forestry

Gardaí and the HSA are investigating the death of a man in his sixties on a farm at Drimoleague in West Cork on Thursday. Photograph: iStock

Gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are investigating following the death of a man in his 60s on a farm at Drimoleague in west Cork on Thursday.

It is understood the man may have fallen in to a slurry pit.

Gardaí and emergency services recovered the body of the man shortly after they were called to the scene at 3.30pm.

The man’s body was taken to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem examination.

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A file will be prepared for the coroner and an inquest will be held at a later date. The man has yet to be named.

Meanwhile, the majority of farm deaths involve incidents with livestock, with machinery and falls. In 2020, there were 20 farming workplace related deaths recorded with the HSA.

The last 10 years have seen a total of 210 deaths on farms and in forestry, with 43 per cent of these deaths occurring from tractors.

The death rate on Irish farms has fluctuated considerably in recent years. 2017 showed the highest number of farm related deaths and 2018 showing the lowest, while 2019 and 2020 have seen a stabilisation in figures.