An astonishing 95 per cent of young farmers say poor mental health is the biggest hidden danger in agriculture today, according to the Farm Safety Foundation.
Ian Watson, manager for Louth Park Farms Ltd, said: “There are a variety of challenges that we as farmers face, contributing to poor mental health, including loneliness, uncertainty of industry, fallen commodity price and of course dealing with the wettest year on record”.
Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN), an NHS and donation funded charity, have seen a 15% increase in calls made to their mental health emergency helpline in the last year going from 216 to 248 calls.
This year, the volunteer-led team are celebrating their 25th anniversary of providing support for rural people. This financial year alone, LRSN have helped over 200 families within the local agricultural community.
The health and wellbeing lead at LRSN, Gilly Steel said: “We offer a holistic wrap around service, people will come to us with issues that are causing them stress and that might be business worries, debt, mental health and we provide them with care”.
After the tragic suicide of a 24-year-old Lincolnshire farmer last month, raising awareness for mental health surrounding those in agriculture is more prevalent in this community than ever.
Ian Watson, who worked with the young man, said: “Unfortunately, a lot of these great charities and resources are not being used to the full potential, as an industry we need to understand why younger members of our farming community aren’t reaching out to these charities.”
If you are a rural worker seeking help with your mental health, then please contact LRSN – Lincolnshire Rural Support Network
