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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Farmer who starred on BBC’s This Farming Life tragically killed by one of his own cows

A farmer who appeared in a BBC documentary series about the farming industry has been killed by one of his own cows.

Derek Roan, 71, starred on BBC Two show This Farming Life, which follows the struggles and triumphs of very different farming families in beautiful and remote landscapes.

The farmer died in hospital after a horrific incident involving livestock at his family farm near Dalbeattie, Dumfries and Galloway, in June last year.

Emergency services were called to the farm on June 19 and Derek was quickly rushed from Barnbarroch Farm to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, but nothing could be done to save the grandad-of-six.

The farmer was a popular figure within the community, and was described as having a 'special talent' for bringing people together (Wire)

His death is now being investigated to determine what exactly happened and caused Derek's death.

A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is to be held to examine the circumstances around the farmer's tragic passing, it's been reported.

Derek's family paid tribute to the late family last year, as they released an official statement via their farm firm, Roan's Dairy.

They said: "We are totally devastated and still in shock at what has happened and it will take some time for us to come to terms of not having him around.

"All Derek's hard work was for his two passions in life - his family and his farms.

"Derek was well known within the farming community and many other circles. He will be sadly missed by all."

The website for Roan's Dairy still includes snaps of Derek on the family farm with is loved ones.

"Granny and Papa Roan [Derek] live at Barnbarroch and are very much involved in the day to day running of the farms," a picture of the family in the 'Who's who' section is captioned.

"Stuart and Aylett farm at Barnbarroch with their 2 sons Fergus and Fraser. The cows at Barnbarroch are milked by two Lely Robots which means the cows come and go as they please to get milk, giving them a much freedom to munch on lush green grass."

The family came to the public's attention thanks to appearing on the BBC series This Farming Life.

The farmer's loved ones paid tribute to him following his death last year (Roan's Dairy WS)

This week, Les Brown, Procurator Fiscal for the Dumfries and Galloway district, issued notice of an FAI, with a first hearing to be held at Dumfries Sheriff Court in March.

A statement from Police Scotland issued at the time of Derek's death said: “On Monday, 20 June 2022, we were made aware of the death of a 71-year-old man in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

A total of 34 people in Britain were killed in agriculture during 2021, according to figures by HSE.

The figure compares to an annual average number of 28 fatalities in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors over the last five years.

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