Former Suffolk farmer urges industry to open up about mental health
To mark Mind Your Head week we've gone Behind The Mask of a former farmer in Suffolk
Last updated 15th Feb 2021
A former farmer from Suffolk is urging people within the industry to open up and remove the stigma around mental health.
The Farmer Safety Foundation (also known as Yellow Wellies) has launched its fourth annual Mind Your Head campaign (15-19 February) to highlight actions being take to break down mental health barriers in farming.
According to a study by the Foundation, 88% of farmers under the age of 40 now rank poor mental health as the biggest hidden problem facing people in the industry.
Data from the Office of National Statistics and the National Records of Scotland shows there were a total of 133 suicides registered in England, Wales and Scotland in the agricultural sector in 2019/20.
23-year-old Dan Goodwin, from Bury St Edmunds, found the pressures of the job, isolation, loneliness and long hours had severe impacts on his mental health.
In August 2019 he attempted to take his own life, a day later he decided he couldn't stay in the job anymore.
He's now furloughed in the hospitality sector, but the Yellow Wellies ambassador has also been working with Horses in Tunstall, which has helped him open up: "I've been able to keep myself going throughout of most of lockdown, which has helped my mental side very much, because I found out when I needed people the most and at my lowest, the best place for me to go was to work with horses.
"Animals can really do a good thing for people that need to have a chat.
"They won't chat back to you, so you can tell them anything you like, and they won't say anything to anyone else. Just them being in your presence makes everything feel calmer."
Isolation is something we've all been talking about more over the last year or so, but for farmers it's an experience they're all too familiar with.
Glenn Buckingham, who's the NFU's County Chair in Suffolk, thinks it's one of the main causes of mental health in the industry.
He said: "When I started on farming, I would be on a farm with four or five people in a team, it could of been 10.
"Nowadays there are large farms running on two or three people, and you are therefore more isolated.
"You will be out in a machine or out with your stock, you are more likely to be working on your own.
"We haven't had the meetings we normally have, so we haven't had the contact socially. I think some of us have been zoomed out or are a bit teamed off, is one way I'd put it."
We are all relying on technology more than ever as a result of the pandemic, and while it's great to keep in contact with loved ones, Glenn thinks it could add additional pressure on older farmers.
Where can I get support?
Matt Hubbard is from the charity YANA, which offers support for rural communities in Norfolk and Suffolk, he thinks the pandemic has heightened the need to check in on people more regularly.
He said: "If you spot somebody that you're concerned about, you've seen a change in behaviour, they're acting not quite themselves.
"That's the time to ask how they are, and always ask twice, sometimes if you asked someone if they're ok, the immediate answer is 'yeah, not too bad', but then ask again.
"I think often it's that's deeper conversation and deeper connectivity that's needed."
If you're struggling with mental health you can find support with YANA, Suffolk Mind, or Norfolk & Waveney Mind.