Elderly farmer dies in tractor incident

An 84-year-old farmer has died on the Mornington Peninsula after a tragic tractor incident earlier this week.

An elderly farmer has died after falling from a tractor when he was spraying an orchard using a trailer sprayer. Picture: Steve Tanner

An elderly farmer has died on the Mornington Peninsula after a tragic tractor incident earlier this week.

The 84-year-old man died after falling from a tractor while driving at Red Hill on Tuesday.

WorkSafe Victoria said it was understood the fruit grower was spraying an orchard using a trailer sprayer weighing about 3.5 tonnes when he lost control of the tractor while descending a hill.

WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the incident.

The death is the 30th confirmed workplace fatality and the sixth in the agriculture industry for 2024.

There were 56 work-related deaths at the same time last year.

Earlier this year Victoria’s agriculture community was struck by tragedy three times in as many weeks following a series of farm deaths in the Wimmera.

Following the deaths, agriculture leaders called for more long-term commitments to farm safety funding from both federal and state governments.

Originally published as Elderly farmer dies in tractor incident