‘Reality check’ urged amid surge in criticism of industry’s ‘eco-vandals’

The number of Scottish farmers and crofters seeking help for poor mental health has increased, according to RSABI.

The rural charity’s welfare manager, Mags Granger, said the number of people contacting its helpline for help with mental ill health was rising.

During a session on mental health at NFU Scotland’s (NFUS) autumn conference at Birnam, near Dunkeld, yesterday, Ms Granger encouraged anyone suffering from poor mental health to seek help as soon as possible.

“It’s quite difficult for people to come and ask for help,” she said.

“We should encourage The chief of Scotland’s farming union yesterday said he was sick of farmers and crofters being regarded as “eco-vandals” and the “eco-bogeymen”.

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said negativity around the industry was making life difficult for producers.

“The extremists seem to be making a lot more noise,” said Mr McCornick at the union’s autumn conference in Birnam.

“It’s as if we are the ecovandals, and that’s far from the truth.

“They are making out we are laying waste to the countryside and that we are cruel and have no sense of care for our livestock.

“We are being accused of degrading our land.” those that we work with to get help sooner.”

She said the charity now offered a call-out service where people could be contacted, provided they had given their permission for their contact details to be passed to the charity, rather than having to contact the charity.

“Often it used to be that people would say (to those in need) there’s RSABI, give them a call,” said Ms Granger. “I would encourage people to allow us to phone them.”

The plea to access help was echoed by NFUS vicepresident Martin Kennedy, who farms near Aberfeldy.

He said: “Animal welfare seems to be at the top of the agenda all the time, but we don’t talk enough about our own stresses. We don’t talk about our health and mental wellbeing.”

Jim Hume, convener of the National Rural Mental Health Forum, said everyone is either affected by poor mental health, or knows someone who is, at some point in their life.

A survey by the forum found that people suffering from poor mental health in rural areas often had problems accessing help, due in part to a perceived

He said agriculture was unfairly targeted and people seemed to forget about the amount of land being brought out of agricultural production to make way for roads and housing.

“There needs to be a lack of privacy in small, rural communities.

Mr Hume said: “A lack of anonymity is a barrier to people to seek help at an early stage.

“I would encourage more openness about talking about mental health and wellbeing, and for us to make it part of the normal agendas at meetings.” reality check on what’s going on out there in the world,” added Mr McCornick.

“Roughly an area the size of Kirkcaldy is disappearing from Scotland every year and yet we are the ecobogeymen.”

Mental health campaigner Graham Morgan, who was made an MBE for services to mental health, spoke to delegates about his personal experience suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.

He said the stigma surrounding mental health was slowly disappearing,

He said the benefits of agriculture to the wider economy needed to be better communicated.

“Farmers and crofters are the environmentalists, the food producers and the job creators,” added Mr McCornick. however many people still struggled to seek help.

Mr Morgan added: “It can be a huge burden carrying that mask of coping and being OK.

“Just as we need a good diet and exercise for our bodies, we need to carry out maintenance of our minds.

“When your mind goes wrong, do get some help for it. And when your friends and family are struggling, try to be there for them.

“You have a right to get help when you struggle to cope and a right not to be so alone when you are struggling.”

The RSABI helpline – 0300 111 4166 – is open every day from 7am to 11pm. A pair of MPs have laid an amendment to the Agriculture Bill to ensure red meat levy money is fairly distributed across Great Britain.

The amendment, lodged by Scottish Conservative MP Colin Clark and Welsh Conservative MP Chris Davies, seeks to rectify the issue of red meat levies from animals born in Scotland and Wales being collected at the point of slaughter in England.

It would ensure red meat levy collected by one levy body in one country within Great Britain could be paid to another.

Mr Clark said the situation has long been viewed as unfair, with Scottish farmers getting taxed to fund AHDB.

He added: “If passed, this will be a win for Scottish farmers. Quality Meat Scotland would receive part of the levy from Scottish farmers who get their livestock slaughtered in England or Wales, where previously they would have not. Introducing this reform will see Scottish farmers benefit by hundreds of thousands of pounds in additional public funding which will be used to promote their produce.”

“We don’t talk enough about our own issues. We don’t talk about our health”

Mags Granger from RSABI speaking at the NFU Scotland autumn conference and council meeting at Birnam