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Two calves were killed after falling into a slurry tank on a farm near Carrickmore, Co Tyrone on Tuesday morning.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) attended the incident on the Rocktown Road with specialist animal rescue teams from three local stations removing the dead calves from the tank.
It is unclear if the calves fell into the tank when part of it was opened for mixing or if an agitation point or slat gave way when the calves were in the pen.
In the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland’s (HSENI) slurry mixing code, it is recommended to cover exposed areas of tanks if slats are removed for mixing slurry.
Gases
With the open period for slurry spreading commencing on 1 February in NI, the HSENI has also been reminding farmers of safety precautions surrounding poisonous gases when mixing slurry.
Speaking at the Assembly’s Committee for the Economy last month, Bryan Monson from HSENI said that animals should be taken out of sheds and farmers should stay out for at least 30 minutes after mixing starts if ventilation is correct.
“One of the perceptions is that there is a technology available that will make this safe, but it doesn’t. The science shows that if you are out for 30 minutes, 99.9% of the time that will keep you safe,” he said.
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