A new study has found that almost 80 per cent of Irish farmers had four or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Almost 9 out of 10 farmers are overweight or obese, according to the nationwide survey by the Irish Heart Foundation.
The data for this survey was gathered by Heart Foundation nurses, during free health checks offered to farmers at marts across the country.
The tests found that 86 per cent of farmers tested were overweight or obese, while 82 per cent had a family history of heart disease or stroke.
Almost half of farmers had high blood pressure and roughly the same number had high cholesterol levels.
As a result of the tests, 8 out of 10 farmers were advised to see their GP for follow-up.
Research has found that farmers are 7 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than people working in other occupations.
