The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) is calling for “urgent action” to support the mental health of farmers to coincide with the launch of its sixth annual Mind Your Head campaign.
The campaign aims to breakdown the stigma attached to poor mental health in the farming sector and recognise the current pressures on farmers and how they impact on their mental health and ability to farm safety.
One of the charity’s studies showed that poor mental health among farmers and agricultural workers is of growing concern and has a direct impact of safety on farms.
In a sample of 450 farmers under the age of 40, 94% agreed that poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing the industry today.
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation said: “Our research shows that levels of mental health in farming are deteriorating and it is being propelled by – in addition to many other things – the current political climate, stress caused by Covid-19 and its aftermath, spiralling costs and continuing barriers to adequate care for many people living and working in the rural community.”
She added that calls to rural supports services across the UK have either increased or become more complex over the past three years.
“Urgent action is needed to support the ongoing mental health of our farmers. We need to take the pressure off these rural support groups and charities who are increasingly relied upon to provide support for those in crisis situations,” she said.
Recognising the signs and symptoms of someone struggling with their mental health and at crisis point can be difficult, the charity said.
The parents of Leonard (Len) Eadon, a young Warwickshire farmer who died by suicide in 2022, have joined this year’s Mind Your Head campaign to call for more support and open a dialogue around mental health with, in particular, young farmers.
The couple have been working with Stephanie and the team at the Farm Safety Foundation for the past year to raise awareness among the next generation of farmers of recognising the signs and symptoms of someone struggling and gain the confidence to start what could be a difficult conversation.
Lynda Eadon said: “When Leonard died, it became a very strong feeling that we had to do something to bring people in the farming community together to talk.
“This is why Andy devised Five-a-Day Challenge – five very simple things you can do every day to look after your mental health.”
Len’s Five-a-Day Challenge:
- Be honest with yourself and those around you;
- Talk openly about daily challenges and listen;
- Care for yourself as well as you care for others;
- Contact that person you’ve been saying you should;
- Plan for the unexpected – make the right choices.
“Our hope is that, because Leonard was so well known and it shocked so many people, we want people to keep talking about it and keep remembering him and realise that they need to be aware of what they’re feeling and reach out if they need it,” Lynda added.
“There is no shame. There is no stigma. But there is support.”
