A popular and highly respected farmer died in a tragic accident after his tractor lost balance and rolled on top of him, an inquest has heard.

Award-winning Llanerfyl farmer Richard Tudor was a well-known figure in the agricultural industry and his death last year shocked the community with tributes paid from around the world.

The 45-year-old was named Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year in 2016 and he was a Hybu Cig Cymru board member and Nuffield scholar.

Mr Tudor was crushed under a tractor and had suffered a severe neck injury in the accident in Llechwedd Isaf field at the 700-acre Llysun farm, which he co-owned with his parents, on April 3, 2020.

The inquest held at Welshpool Town Hall on June 25 heard that the father-of-two was spreading fertiliser in a steep field on a warm and dry day.

Mr Tudor was found by his son at around 7.15pm after he failed to answer his phone. Paramedics, police, firefighters and an air ambulance were called to the farm but he died at the scene.

Assistant coroner for South Wales Central Andrew Barkley said there were "lots of identifiable factors" but it was "impossible to say" that the accident could have been avoided.

Gary Martin, a Health and Safety Executive inspector who investigated the incident, concluded that travelling along a steep field may have moved the tractor's centre of gravity and that a lack of counterbalance could have destabilised the vehicle causing it to roll. The HSE found that there were no mechanical defects or faults with the farm machinery, and that Mr Tudor, who had not been wearing a seatbelt, was experienced and knowledgeable about tractors.

The assistant coroner said the evidence was not clear that dual wheels, which are used to stabilise a tractor on steep slopes, should have been used that day.

"There were many factors that brought on the terrible circumstances of him meeting his death," he said. "During spreading, the tractor, for whatever reason, lost its balance and he was thrown from the tractor and it rolled on top of him."

Mr Tudor's widow, Catrin, described him as a "loving husband" of 20 years and an "incredibly hard-working" farmer who took "immense pride" in his work. "He was an experienced tractor driver who was not a risk taker and did not cut corners," she said.

Summing up, the assistant coroner concluded that Mr Tudor died as a result of an accident.