A warning has gone out to public liability insurance holders about the need for good health and safety standards when carrying out work in and around farms.
Terry Rose, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) south west regional director, said that all too often it is having to investigate deaths or serious injuries around farmyards in the region.
"We see first hand the terrible grief that families face when someone is killed and it is heartbreaking - particularly when farmers keep dying for the same reasons," he added.
Judith Donovan, HSE board member and agriculture expert, said that over the last ten years, 455 lives have been lost on British farms by people carrying out different types of work, stating "let's make 2010 the year that everyone comes home safe".
In October last year, the HSE gave a warning to public liability insurance holders after outdoor workers in Lancashire suffered 11,000-volt electric shocks and burns when a ladder they were lifting touched an overhead power cable on a farm.