A Tyrone cattle dealer has described how emergency medical services saved his life after a bull attack at a livestock market.

Thomas Bowen, from Castlecaulfield, was loading cattle at Clogher mart on 17 May last year when a bull struck him in the stomach.

Other farmers at the scene prevented further injury and called emergency services. Northern Ireland Ambulance Service deployed a road crew and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service.

Medical staff placed Bowen in an induced coma at the scene and performed a blood transfusion. He was then taken to Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, where surgeons operated for three and a half hours.

Bowen spent 31 days at the hospital and a further four days at Craigavon Area Hospital. He lost more than three stone during his recovery.

Bowen spoke about the incident at the launch of a farm safety campaign by Lakeland Dairies at the Balmoral Show. The campaign targets suppliers across Northern Ireland during the summer period.

Farming accounts for 40 per cent of work-related deaths in Northern Ireland despite comprising four per cent of the workforce.