Young farmers worry on mental health, charity finds

The Farm Safety Foundation said four out of five farmers under the age of 40 believed mental health was the biggest hidden problem facing the industry

Most young farmers in the UK are worried about the impact of the job on their mental health, a charity says.

The Farm Safety Foundation, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, says research it carried out found four out of five farmers under the age of 40 believed mental health was the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today.

The charity is raising awareness of farmers' mental health during a week of campaigning called Mind Your Head.

It comes after Office for National Statistics figures showed 36 farmers across the UK took their own lives in 2021.

Brothers Robert and Charles Goadby, from Manor Farm near Nuneaton, said the job could be isolating.

Charles Goadby said: "I openly admit I suffered with depression a few years ago.

"I went within myself, I just went quiet. I didn't go out, I didn't want to do anything.

"But actually in this industry, when there's so few of you and you don't get out much, it's easy to hide away."

Charles Goadby said he suffered from depression a few years ago

Mr Goadby said there were instances where he and his wife were ready to leave for parties or other social occasions and they cancelled at the last minute.

"My wife's been dressed in her best, ready to leave and I've had to phone up to say 'sorry, we've got a cow that's not very well or something's happened on the farm' and actually that's the whole plan ruined and it's embarrassing and it does get you down," he said.

His brother Robert said: "When it's busy, you don't stop really until the work's all done.

"It does get a bit lonely then, especially when everybody's gone to sleep and you've got no-one left to talk [to].

"That's when you start getting mixed up in your own thoughts in your head.

"I think you could ask any farmer, they'd rather have someone cry on their shoulder than have to go to their funeral in a few weeks time. Any farmer would be happy to talk to another one if they were sad."

Stephanie Berkeley, manager at the Farm Safety Foundation, said the charity's survey involved 747 farmers across the UK and was "not a small survey".

She added people needed to realise their food came from farmers not shelves.

"There's a clear relationship between the average working hours and your level of mental health and that is very evident in our figures," Ms Berkeley said.

"Those people that have shorter working days have higher levels of mental well-being but 61% of farmers work more than 11 hours every day, 15% work 15 hours a day. That's Monday to Sunday, not Monday to Friday."

The Farm Safety Foundation has created a national directory of support groups, for those who are looking for help and information.

If you've been affected by the issues raised in this report, the BBC Action Line has a list of organisations that may be able to help.