More than 95 per cent of UK farmers under the age of 40 say poor mental health is one of the “biggest hidden problems” facing farmers today according to a study conducted by the Farm Safety Foundation.
Some 21 farm workers lost their lives in farm accidents in 2022/23 and there were 36 suicides registered in England and Wales by those working in the farming and agricultural industry in 2021 according to the Office of National Statistics.
Today marks a poignant day for Andy and Lynda Eadon as it would have been their son Leonard’s 25th birthday. They are using the opportunity to help future farmers in the industry that he so loved.
His mother Lynda says: “Everyone in the industry has a voice, a value, a family and a community to be part of and proud of.
Parents of Len Eadon urge for ‘more respect’
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“There’s a strong need for respect in the industry and for the industry from outside. It’s something we all desire and deserve and is the mainstay of positive mental health.”
His father Andy added: “Mind Your Head is a special week for the industry and one that means a lot to Lynda and I personally.
“We will be attending Big Farming Tea Break events in all three countries and meeting all those who have been supporting our efforts over the past two years.”
In recent years farming in the UK has been hit by an increase in flooding, drought, and heatwaves. As a result of the varying weather conditions, it’s had an impact on those whose lives and livelihoods depend on the land.
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Daniel Boomer, 21, from Shropshire, says he’s lost a few friends to suicide
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Daniel Boomer, 21, from Shropshire, says he’s lost a few friends to suicide and believes that farmers are particularly at risk of suffering in silence.
He’s a supporter of, Yellow Wellies, a charity which addresses the attitudes and behaviours to risk-taking and poor mental health in the next generation of farmers under the age of 40.
He says: “The agricultural industry is a very tough profession, long days, on your own, endless weather changes all have a negative effect on one’s mental health.
“There are many issues currently today in the industry with under-appreciation for farmers and their efforts to ensure that everyone has food on their plate three times a day and guaranteeing a clean and beautiful countryside for all of us to enjoy.
Stephanie Berkley says that losing a loved one to suicide is 'heart-breaking and so tragic'
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“But overall, I think people need to understand that taking your own life isn’t the answer and there’s always an option.”
This week the Farm Safety Foundation, the charity behind the Mind Your Head campaign is raising awareness of the challenges facing the UK’s farming industry and how these impacts on the mental health of those whose lives and livelihoods depend on it.
Stephanie Berkley, a manager at the Farm Safety Foundation says that losing a loved one to suicide is “heart-breaking and so tragic”. She argues that the issue of poor mental health in the industry is more than the headlines around mental health-related mortality rates.
But instead, it’s about thousands of farmers who are struggling with mental health conditions and working every day to put food on our plates.
She added: “This year’s campaign comes at a time when there is growing unrest in the industry across the UK. Carmarthen market [Wales] had a meeting where over 3,000 concerned protested about government reforms and in Dover farmers had a slow tractor protest over cheap post-Brexit imports.”
She added: “In the years since Brexit they’ve had subsidy cuts, increased costs of fuel and fertiliser and cheap unchecked imports from trade deals all this while consumers demand cheaper food.”
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