A NEW study has revealed that 95 per cent of farmers under the age of 40 consider poor mental health as one of the most hidden yet significant problems in agriculture today.

The study's release aligns with the revelation that a total of 36 suicides were registered among the farming and agricultural communities in England and Wales in 2021.

Unexpected climatic conditions like heatwaves, flooding, and drought have led to heightened stress levels, considering farmers' livelihoods largely depend on the land. 

Consistently, safety has posed a concern within the industry. 

In 2022/2023, there were 21 deaths reported from farming accidents.

To counter this, the rural charity Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies, seeks to provoke dialogue on mental health in the sector through its seventh Mind Your Head campaign.

Lib Dem candidate for Penrith & the Solway Julia Aglionby voiced her support for this initiative.

“In my day job I speak with hill farmers every week who are suffering the consequence of a botched agricultural transition – costs have increased by 30 per cent over the last 4 years but the BPS payments for the hills have halved and the new ELM schemes are inexcusably delayed.

"And in the dairy sector, there is huge and increasing stress as cases of TB mount in Cumbria.

"These multiple areas of stress are resulting in significant mental health illness among far too many farmers.  

“I’m a trustee of a charitable Care Farm and know first hand how stressful it is to balance the books of a farm.

"You only need one problem on the farm and that can tip you over the edge.

"It is so important that farmers can access the support they require and are enabled to talk.

"The work of Yellow Wellies and other farmer support charities is so critical," she said. 

For more information on the Mind Your Head campaign visit  www.yellowwellies.org