Dairy farmer Jim Ryan from Cashel in Co Tipperary has developed a new product to assist farmers in calving cows. Jim suffers from back pain due to an old injury, something which flared up after pulling his first calf last spring.

The idea for the Calving Assist came to him after seeing ESB workers climbing a pole with a strap around their waist. The original design was very basic – just a girth from an old saddle tied to the calving ropes. The quick release mechanism took the longest to design. This enables the farmer to instantly release themselves from the harness if a cow gets away or goes down.

Jim says the product is designed to harness the extra power, strength and control in the farmers’ leg muscles, rather than using the arms and upper back to pull a calf, which can cause injury. All the metal is stainless steel and the strap is strong and comfortable. FRS Cahir have taken over the sales and marketing, with price to be confirmed.