Lincolnshire farmer warns against dangers of industry after arm ripped off in machine
Report by Amelia Beckett
A farmer who lost his arm in a harvester accident says he wants to warn others of the dangers of working in the industry.
James Bannister, from North Lincolnshire, fell into a potato harvester near Retford in 1998.
He told ITV News: "It was a normal day. I went to work, harvesting potatoes.
"Something happened and I slipped into the machine. My left arm got caught in the rollers and it dragged me in up to my left shoulder."
A friend turned off the machine, but Mr Bannister was then trapped for more than two and a half hours until he could be freed.
He said: "I know it could have been a lot worse.
"By the time the lad got the tractor switched off, it was actually biting onto my neck. I have no nerves in this shoulder, they're all gone."
Despite losing his arm, James has continued working as a farmer.
He said he doesn't want to leave the industry, but instead has worked to improve safety in farming and raise awareness of the dangers.
He added: "I'm very lucky to be here, because it could have been totally different.
"The more I can say about my accident, the more I make people think about it.
"If just one person changes how they do things then I've done my bit. I've done a bit of good."
New figures released from the Farm Safety Foundation show that farming continues to be the most dangerous industry in the UK, with 27 people losing their lives on farms over the last year.
In a sector that makes up 1% of the working population, it accounts for 20% of all deaths in the workplace.
According to NFU Mutual, there were 937 farm accident claims recorded in the UK for 2023-24.
NFU Mutual chairman Jim McLaren MBE knows only too well the ever-present dangers associated with the industry, having himself suffered a life-changing farm accident as a child.
He said: "Over the last 10 years, the Farm Safety Foundation has worked tirelessly and with great success, to change mindsets and improve the approach to farm safety, particularly among the younger generation.
"But every single farm accident is a farm accident too many, and there is still so much more to do.
"Farm Safety Week is a great opportunity for our whole sector to pause and reflect, to remind ourselves that virtually every task we undertake on farm has the ability to kill or seriously injure us if we approach it in the wrong way or with undue haste, carelessness or bravado."
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