A farmer who broke his back after falling 28ft from a shed roof has warned the new environment secretary not to cut funding for farm safety. Michael Nixon, 38, spent six months in hospital after the accident on a farm in Buckinghamshire.
Accident and injuries
Mr Nixon was clearing gutters when he plunged onto concrete, breaking the T7 vertebra in his spine, his sternum and several ribs. He was taken to Coventry Hospital, where medics told him he would not walk again. He spent three months bedbound before being transferred to Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. After six months of gruelling recovery, he returned home to his wife, Marie, and 17-year-old son, Jacob, on March 27, 2020.
Warning to Dame Angela Eagle
Mr Nixon urged Dame Angela Eagle, appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as environment secretary, not to take away funding needed to keep farmers safe. He said: 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you.' He added: 'The Government has taken away so much funding, but farmers rely on it. Take it away and farmers can't afford safety equipment.'
Farm Safety Week and statistics
Mr Nixon was speaking during Farm Safety Week, which raises awareness of the dangers farmers face. The Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies, says 22 farm workers died on British farms in 2025-26. It says farming remains one of the country's most dangerous occupations, with farm workers seven times more likely to die at work than those in construction.
Michael Nixon's story
A passionate farming industry worker from the age of 17, Mr Nixon was on a farm preparing calves to replace dairy cows when the accident happened seven years ago. He was trying to pull a tree branch out of roof guttering when he lost his footing and fell. Now wheelchair-bound, Mr Nixon refuses to stop farming. He rears Jacob and Greyface Dartmoor sheep on his farm near Milton Keynes and runs an 'inclusive' gym designed for people of all physical abilities.
Mr Nixon said he shares the blame 50/50 for his accident with his former employer. He explained: 'My farm manager asked me to get up on the roof. I could have said no. With the farm community, when you see a job that needs doing you just crack on with it, especially with livestock because you want to do your best for them.'
Reactions and calls for action
Stephanie Berkeley, Farm Safety Foundation Charity Manager, congratulated Dame Angela on her appointment and said she looked forward to working with her to ensure farm safety remains a priority. She added: 'Every year too many lives are lost or changed forever by accidents on UK farms. We need strong leadership, continued investment in education and support to help us make our farms safer places to live, to work and to visit. The urgency is clear – every death and every life changing injury is one too many.'
Dame Angela said: 'Farming is an incredibly important and rewarding job, but we must never underestimate how dangerous it can be. Every farmer who doesn’t come home after work is a tragedy for families and wider rural communities. I want to thank the Farm Safety Foundation for its tireless work to reduce accidents and save lives across the farming industry.'
