Mind Your Head and help tackle mental health

The Farm Safety Foundation has launched its third annual Mind Your Head campaign to raise the issue of mental health amongst farmers and the affect this can have on farm safety.

It is a sad fact that farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK.

The majority of young farmers, 85 per cent, believe there is a definite link between mental health and the overall safety of farms.

‘Smiling depression’

Threats to mental health include ‘smiling depression’, loneliness, PTSD, rural isolation and mental health in young farmers.

Mental health is one of the biggest problems facing the industry; farming faces many stress factors, which are placing increasing pressure on workers and putting them at greater risk of mental ill health.

These include extended amounts of time working in isolation, a blurring between work and home life, and financial uncertainty.

Brexit, changing consumer habits, and the climate crisis present further threats to the industry.

The total income in the UK from farming decreased by a massive £971 million between 2017 and 2018, and 42 per cent of UK farmers would have made a loss between 2014 and 2017 without direct payments from the EU.

Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said: ‘It is encouraging to see more discussions about mental health, more awareness of the various mental health conditions and more emphasis on the support available to the farming community, however, more still needs to be done.

‘Let’s be clear, this isn’t someone else’s responsibility, this is on our watch and, in these challenging times, it’s down to each and every one of us to look out for our friends, colleagues, neighbours and ourselves.’

Visit the Farm Safety Foundation’s website www. yellowwellies.org and social media channels, where stories, advice and services can be accessed and a film highlighting these issues can be seen on YouTube.