// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Widow whose husband died after falling into slurry pit warns of pressure on farmers
Islwyn and Margaret Owen married in 2022 and lived in Llanycil near Bala, north Wales
The widow of a farmer who died after he fell into a slurry pit has spoken about the stresses facing workers after a rise in deaths.
Margaret Owen said the impact of husband Islwyn's death had been brought back to her once again following reports that a father and son had died in similar circumstances last week.
She said Islwyn had worried about bad weather and recently-introduced rules on slurry spreading when he had fallen at his farm in Bala, Gwynedd, in 2024.
Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show 22 workers died on British farms during 2025-26 - the highest number in a decade.
Margaret said the number of deaths had made it appear "things are getting worse and worse".
An inquest into Islwyn's death found he had fallen into the slurry pit after he had climbed on to a short wall to adjust some machinery at Cefn Bodig farm in Llanycil, Bala.
He suffered asphyxia along with serious injuries to his right arm and chest caused by the machinery, and his body was found by a neighbour 90 minutes after he was reported missing on the evening of 4 September 2024.
Islwyn was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death was ruled as accidental.
Islwyn was "so careful" while working and always wore a helmet, Margaret says