R.A.B.I is supporting this year’s Mind Your Head campaign, organised by the Farm Safety Foundation, to raise awareness and tackle the stigma of the growing issue of mental illness in farming. The campaign runs from Feb 11-15.

Recent research by the Foundation reveals that 81% of farmers under 40 believe that mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today and 92% believe that promoting good mental health is crucial if lives are to be saved and farmers kept safe.

Throughout the week, the Farm Safety Foundation will be reminding farmers and farming families that Valentine’s week; when we are supposed to celebrate love and togetherness, can sometimes highlight how different, alone, or low we feel and if that this is the case, help is available. The Foundation will bring together key people, organisations and other charities to raise awareness of this mounting issue in the industry and build a community of support for those affected.

Stephanie Berkeley, who leads the Farm Safety Foundation, said: “Last year’s campaign was welcomed by the farming community, but one thing has become evident: farmer health and wellbeing can not, and must not, be ignored – by any of us. Simply pretending the issue does not exist or has no impact on the industry is not acceptable. This year we are mounting the week long campaign in the run up to one of the biggest and possibly most stressful events facing the industry – Brexit.

“In previous times of stress, such as the BSE crisis in 1986 and the outbreak of Foot and Mouth in 2001, there was a sharp increase in the number of farmer suicides as farm incomes declined. Learning from past experiences, we need to be prepared to support our farmers through this time and this is what we are great at, as an industry.”

For more information on ‘Mind Your Head’ visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow @yellowwelliesUK on Twitter/Facebook