Tributes paid to Welsh farmer after 'unexplained' death on farm

The death is currently being treated as "unexplained" by police
The death is currently being treated as "unexplained" by police

Tributes have been paid to a farmer who died on his farm in North Wales, with investigations continuing into the 'unexplained' death.

Police have named the man as Islwyn Owen, 67, who farmed in the village of Llanycil, near Bala, in Gwynedd.

Emergency services were called to his farm at 20:50 on Wednesday 4 September.

The death is currently being treated as "unexplained" by police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A local councillor told the BBC that the community was "shocked" following his death.

Councillor Alan Jones Evans, who represents the Llanuwchllyn ward, described Mr Owen as a "conscientious and busy farmer".

He said: "That was his life – agriculture, I was a tidy farmer and that was his world intact. Everyone knew who Islwyn was," he said.

"I would like to extend my condolences to his widow, Margaret. Islwyn was well known in agriculture locally and beyond.

"He was a familiar face at every agricultural show and society in the whole area, and this news is a loss to the local area."

Police said they were working in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive to understand the circumstances leading up to the incident.

It comes after the safety regulator released figures showing that farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation.

A total of 27 people lost their lives on farms in Great Britain in 2023-2024.