Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 takes place from 13 to 19 May, on the theme of Movement: Moving more for our mental health. 

Creating and maintaining good mental health is important for us all. There are many aspects of modern life that can test our mental health resilience; but farming and crofting may present a unique set of challenges. Increasingly, recognition of these specific pressures has led to many avenues of support becoming available throughout the UK. And these are accessible to anyone involved in agriculture, either directly or indirectly. 

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Some of the challenges of farming 

Farmers and crofters are in the unusual position of running a business that is very heavily dependent on factors they have little or no control over, including:

Weather and climate events such as flooding 

Impacting on farm productivity and finances but also challenging mental resilience in dealing with the physical conditions, animal health issues and potential loss of life that may occur as a result of adverse weather events. 

Government policy 

Recent focus on climate change has led to pressure on farms to undertake carbon audits and to understand how to manage this going forward. Subsidy payments are undergoing radical restructuring since Brexit and uncertainty surrounding this continues, making it difficult for farms to plan for the future. Additionally, as food security concerns have increased over the last few years, government trade deals have opened the market to more imported products, with the aim of maintaining low food costs to consumers. These imports are often subject to lower standards of production than those demanded of our own farmers, however, leaving UK producers feeling squeezed from every angle.

Legislation 

Both national and international legislation is changing constantly and keeping up with this can be a daunting prospect for many producers. 

Changes such as the recent popularity of veganism and reducing meat intakes have hit many smaller farmers hard.

Fluctuating and unpredictable costs of commodities

International conflict in Ukraine for example, saw the price of some farm resources such as fuel, grain and fertiliser increase multiple fold overnight. These increases were sudden and sustained, forcing farm businesses to have to radically rethink both financial and management strategies very quickly. 

National and international animal health concerns 

ome diseases are not under the control of the individual farmer. Avian flu as an example is spread throughout the wild bird population. While some measures can be taken to reduce the risk of disease on a farm holding, it is very difficult to eliminate the risk altogether. Foot and mouth disease, Bluetongue virus and Schmallenberg disease are other examples where there is a limited amount of preventative action a farmer can take. Vaccines are not always available, insect spread of disease is not under our control and the effect of an outbreak on nearby farms can be significant.

Financial planning and cashflow

As with any other business there are also challenges in financial and production planning; managing cash flow (which can be highly seasonal); hiring and managing staff; or managing all the work alone in some cases which can be very isolating. 

Many farms or crofts have been in the same family for generations

Along with great pride in this history, there is often a great weight of responsibility for the current farming generation. As well as providing for themselves the farm may have to support the older generation, as well as creating a future for the generations yet to come. Is there enough work for the younger generation to join the farm, do they want to? All these considerations must be made when succession planning. 

All things considered, farming or crofting requires a unique set of skills and an unparalleled level of dedication to the work, as well as a significant amount of resilience in order to thrive. But farmers and crofters are only human too. Sometimes it all feels just too much, and reaching out for help can seem like the hardest thing to do. 

Supporting mental health in farming and crofting

Support is out there, whether that takes the form of a chat with a friend or neighbour, just to get things off your chest, or online resources to help develop healthy habits and build resilience; there are many sources of support within the agricultural community now. 

Friends and family, neighbours and even vets! 

Sharing our thoughts and feelings, especially when we feel bogged down, is very important in maintaining good mental health. Just a quick chat over the fence or a text here and there keeps us in touch with others who very often benefit from the contact just as much. But sometimes it can be difficult to share worries with those closest to us as we don’t want to burden them or add to concerns of their own. 

As a vet on farm, I am aware that it would be easy to focus on just getting the job done efficiently before heading off swiftly to the next call. But taking time to pause and just ask “so how are things going otherwise?” is genuinely one of the privileges of my job. Of course, my hope is to hear that life is great and things are going well; but when they’re not, I’m always happy to listen. Whether it’s farming worries, family issues, health concerns or just frustration at the recent weather conditions, a problem shared is a problem halved as they say. Sometimes just voicing that concern can make it seem more manageable. 

As vets we adhere to strict client confidentiality at all times. But we are also often well placed to connect people with resources that can help them. For example funding options for disease investigation or local agricultural events and groups where they may find appropriate support. In many cases, just knowing you’re not alone in what you are experiencing is helpful; to be reassured that other flocks are seeing high mastitis rates during this wet springtime; and sharing just a tip here and there in terms of management can be helpful.

RABI 

The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (and its Scottish counterpart RSABI) have been around since the late 1800’s. And have evolved to meet the needs of today’s agricultural community. Providing free confidential support online or by telephone, they are well placed to listen and put you in touch with further assistance; be that counselling support, financial aid, or information on budgeting and debt relief. RABI also have a mental health training course to support the agricultural community to feel more confident in talking to each other about how they are feeling. 

Thrive Wellbeing app 

Developed by RSABI and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) Wellbeing and Development Committee, the Thrive Wellbeing app provides the user with a variety of resources for all things mental health related. This includes further support in the form of qualified in-house therapists available through the app, to listen and talk over concerns confidentially. Currently only available to those working in Scottish agriculture, this app is still in its early stages but if successful can hopefully be expanded throughout the UK.

Farmstrong 

“Live well to farm well”. Originating in New Zealand, Farmstrong is “an initiative to help farmers, growers and their families to cope with the ups and downs of farming by sharing things they can do to look after themselves and the people in their business”. If you haven’t explored their website yet I strongly urge you to do so – it’s HERE! Prevention as they say is better than cure. And the Farmstrong site is packed with bitesize resources for everyone; from tips for better sleep to nutritional advice and recipes, exercise videos to help in creating healthy mindsets. There really is something for everyone there. Farmstrong Scotland has recently been launched in conjunction with the New Zealand initiative and offers a wellbeing hub of videos, podcasts and even a spotify playlist to help lift your mood!

Look after yourselves

On farms and crofts across the UK, there is huge dedication to the health and wellbeing of livestock. And we are well aware of the need to look after equipment and machinery in order to get the best out of it. But when it comes to our own wellbeing, both physical and mental, there’s often room for improvement. As an industry with so much uncertainty and so strongly affected by factors outwith our control, it is vital that we develop good mental health and resilience to cope with the ups and downs. So check out some of the great websites below for more information. Start small, pick things that appeal to you and be kind to yourself when days don’t go to plan. Invest in your own health, both physical and mental. In short, live well to farm well.

Further resources

Further reading: