Many farmers floundering in red tape and facing mounting pressures day-by-day have been left feeling they have no way out other than to take their own lives.
That was the blunt but real message delivered to the ears of local councillors by the head of a body tasked with bringing rural support and help to those who need it most.
The situation has become so strained and seemingly insurmountable that many now feel they have nowhere to turn.
And that is a situation which will prevail unless real help can be delivered and done so with the support – financial and otherwise – of council and all statutory bodies.
Rural Support’s Gyles Dawson did not mince his words when he addressed the last full sitting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
While the director of programmes painted a vivid picture of the pains and pressures which exist within farm families and rural communities, he did, via a powerful presentation, explain that they were there to do everything they could to tackle a mental health pandemic.
Rural Support is an advocacy group which provides impartial guidance for farmers and farm family members, in support of their farm business and personal wellbeing.
The plethora of pressures Mr Dawson flagged include risk of farm accidents; physical health concerns; financial pressures; uncertain farm future; younger family members leaving rural areas; difficulty in accessing essential services, such as being able to see a GP or access banking services; social isolation; alcohol and substance abuse; planning issues; the loss of off-farm income; the increasing reliance on the internet, which can be an issue for older farmers; adverse weather conditions; disease outbreaks; land availability; animal welfare; farm inspections; labour shortages and increasing interest rates.
The Rural Support rep delivered a hard-hitting message to ABC councillors in relation to the state of mind of those distressed farmers who find themselves facing overwhelming issues
“In the worst-case scenario we have a lot of farmers [who feel] there’s no other way out but to commit suicide,” he said. “I’m sorry to have to say that in the chamber, but it is a fact.
“Just to give you some statistics, rural isolation and loneliness are some of the biggest issues within the farming sector.
“One in four people will experience some kind of mental health problems within their lifetime. One farmer each week dies in the UK as a result of suicide, and it is rising, given the number of calls that we have coming in. Men aged 30 to 34 have the highest suicide rate.
“We complete our own survey every year. These statistics are quite stark – 67% of those that applied to the survey are below the national average for a mental health score; 15% had a score which indicates mild depression, and 13% had a score which indicated potential clinical depression.
“Some things contribute to that. Overworking and tiredness putting a strain on relationships, physical and mental exhaustion.
“There’s a safety aspect. Many farmers, in order to make ends meet, will work part-time, they’ll do a second job. They do their job, they come home and they farm, and that tends to increase the tiredness and the fatigue, which results in an increase in farm accidents.”
Mr Dawson went on to outline the history of the support organisation, adding: “We were born in 2002 as a result of the foot-and-mouth epidemic. We’re a charity and we deliver independent and free guidance for farmers and farm families.
“We have a farm family wellbeing programme and we offer crisis mentoring, counselling support as well.
“We have a social farming aspect and we have a digital farm support hub. We also have social wellbeing support programmes and specific agri-sector training known as ‘Boots on the Ground’.
“We also have a support line. It runs from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday. From April 2023 to March 2024, we had 368 calls received.
“In the last three years, we’ve had 1,768 people who have rung that support line, some in distress, some threatening to take their own lives, some threatening to take others’ lives, some threatening to leave farming completely.
“We’ve had 192 referrals we’ve had to pass on to third parties, and that’s up 96% from the previous year.
“The demand for all of Rural Support services has increased by 54%, just within the last 12 months.
“When a farmer is in crisis, we will assess that farmer’s situation and we will send out a business mentor to give them guidance on what is the best way forward for them.
“We have gone from having eight business mentors in the last three years to 21 now, given the demand.
“From a counselling support point of view, we had three counsellors in place three years ago, we now have 15 counsellors in place.
“With a normal counselling service you have to go to a counselling agency. The chances of a farmer doing that is pretty much zero, because the time it takes them to slip out of their overalls, get themselves cleaned up and go to a counselling hub, it just will not happen.
“Rural Support’s counselling model is unique. It is expensive but it is very effective.
“We send one of our 15 counsellors out to the family home. It has proven very successful.
“It will not be the first time that I have sat at a kitchen table and a farmer has said ‘Only for the fact that you had the ability to come to me, I would never ever have taken this service up’.
“Farmers have said to us as well ‘Only for your intervention, neither I nor my farm would have been here today’.
“It would not have been the first time when I’ve sat at a kitchen table, and a farmer has said to me ‘The only way I can see out of this is to take my own life’.
“This is what we’re facing at the minute, and it’s very much a community that feels forgotten, unfortunately.”
Rural Support’s helpline number is 0800 138 1678. The line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. This is a free and confidential service. Any referrals to third parties require the prior permission of the individuals in question.
