Concern over growing toll of farm deaths

A total of 38 agricultural workers died between April 2009 and March 2010, compared with just 25 the previous year.

The figures, compiled by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), show agriculture to be the most dangerous industry to work in, as farming now accounts for more than a quarter of workplace deaths in the country.

The HSE's head of agriculture, Graeme Walker, said: "The fact that many of these lives have been lost in family businesses is a double tragedy. Not only have families been ripped apart, but businesses that have been handed down through generations have been ruined.

"Farming and agricultural work has a poor safety record compared with other industries - we cannot let this trend continue."

The National Farmers Union president Peter Kendall said the union would be establishing an industry coalition to look at the issue of farm safety.

He added that the NFU was treating the new statistics with "considerable sadness".

Nationwide the number of people killed at work fell to a record low, down to 151 deaths as compared with 178 the previous year.

The HSE, while welcoming the results, said they could be in part due to a decrease in activity in some sectors because of the recession.

HSE chairwoman Judith Hackitt said: "It's really very encouraging to see a further reduction in workplace fatalities in the past year. This is performance which owes much to good practice, leadership and employee engagement.

The new figures show Britain to have a lower rate of fatal injuries than in Germany, France, Spain or Italy.