Farming helpline sees calls almost double

A cool, wet July was followed by high levels of rainfall in August, which delayed the harvest

A Lincolnshire farming charity has reported a 96% rise in calls to its helpline over the past two years.

Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) said their helpline handled 174 calls in 2023 alone and supported 348 people with one-to-one support.

The volunteer-led charity, which offers support to farming communities, attributed the increase to the "variety of challenges” farmers have been facing, in particularly the wet summer weather.

Amy Thomas, from the charity, said: "When your livelihood very much depends on things out of your control like the weather it can be quite difficult."

A farm near Lincoln submerged in the floods last winter

She added: “I know that some of the people who we speak to describe it as a bit relentless, that no sooner have you tried to navigate one challenge then there's another.”

The LRSN is celebrating its 25th anniversary and said despite the recent increase in calls to the helpline, people in the farming community could still be reluctant to talk about their problems.

Ms Thomas said: “We'd love to see people reaching out that little bit sooner, rather than waiting until that crisis point."

Many farmers were impacted by flooding during Storm Babet in 2023 and Storm Henk earlier this year.

Some say they are still waiting for financial support promised to them by the previous government, which set up The Farm Recovery Fund for farmers whose land had been damaged.

This year's summer has not helped the situation for farmers, who report that the wet weather had prevented crops from maturing in time to meet demand.

Miss Thomas encouraged farmers to contact them for help and advice.

"We have seen more people come forward and that's brilliant, but I think we've still got a long way to go before people will talk openly and confidently about their emotions and about how they feel," she said.

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