A Tyrone cattle dealer whose life was saved by the Air Ambulance following a bull attack at a livestock mart has told a group of farmers about his experiences.
Thomas Bowen was speaking as Lakeland Dairies launched its new farm safety campaign aimed at encouraging practical actions to help reduce accidents and injuries on its supplier farms across Northern Ireland during the busy summer period.
The launch took place at the recently held Balmoral Show.
The initiative comes against a stark backdrop, with farming remaining Northern Ireland’s most dangerous industry, accounting for 40 per cent of all work-related fatalities in 2025 despite representing just four per cent of the workforce.
For Mr. Bowen, a cattle trader from Castlecaufield, a routine job at the local mart for experienced farmer Thomas turned into a near-death experience after a bull attacked him.
On May 17 last year, Thomas had not long arrived to the mart at Clogher and was beginning to load cattle when a bull in one of the loading bays struck him in the stomach with its head as he turned around.
“There was no warning at all, one second it was standing quiet and the next second he was there,” recounts Thomas.
“The force of the impact threw me up in the air and only for the quick actions of other farmers who saw what had happened, I’m certain that the bull would have went for me a second time. I can remember lying on the ground looking up… I kept hitting the back of my own head off the ground as the pain was so bad.
"Another farmer put the toe of his boot under my head to prevent me from doing more damage while others covered me in blankets.”
The emergency services were phoned and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) dispatched a emergency road crew and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) via the charity air ambulance to the centre of the Tyrone village.
Due to the severity of his injuries, the HEMS doctor and paramedic placed Thomas into an induced coma at the scene. They also carried out a one and half litre blood transfusion due to the extent of his internal injuries and loss of blood he had sustained.
Thomas said: “My wife Jackie and family all arrived down to Belfast and at that stage I was already in theatre as my kidneys, bowel, liver, everything was just burst. The surgeons completely opened me up and worked on me for three and a half hours.
"I spent five days in an induced coma and when I came around again, one of the doctors said to me they didn’t expect me to still be alive and that I was three minutes from being saved when I arrived with them. Only for air ambulance and the emergency services, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Thomas spent thirty-one days in Royal Victoria Hospital and a further four days in Craigavon Area Hospital recovering from his injuries.
“During that time, I lost over three stone in weight. I was being fed through a drip and when I tried to eat something more substantial, it was causing other complications. Since then however I have made steady progress and I had my final surgery before Christmas.”
It is hoped that the campaign will engage Lakeland Dairies’ farmer suppliers across Northern Ireland through a series of regular communications including the co-operative’s monthly Farm Notes, social media and other digital channels, with practical safety reminders that farmers can apply in their day-to-day work.
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