RABI welcomed the urgent recommendations put forward by the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee in May, within the inquiry into poor mental health in rural communities.

The inquiry report, launched to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, used much of RABI’s ground-breaking insights from the Big Farming Survey.

A need for urgent action

Alicia Chivers, RABI chief executive, explains:

“The findings in the EFRA report echo our concerns that there is a need for urgent preventative action now, if we are to avoid a mental health crisis for our community.

“We particularly welcome the recognition that there is a pressing need for Government to fund and support the roll-out of mental health training to those working in agriculture and with the farming community.”

Developing effective support services

Many of the EFRA Committee’s recommendations mirror the RABI support services launched in response to our Big Farming Survey findings. This includes in-person mental health counselling and farming-focused mental health training initiatives.

Alicia says:

“The launch of the report and key recommendations opens the door to further conversation around the development of an effective mental health policy for farming communities.

“We were delighted to be able to provide wide-ranging evidence to the inquiry, to help policymakers understand the realistic picture of the everyday mental health pressures being experienced.”

Read the evidence captured within the Big Farming Survey – access the full report of findings here.

Meeting the needs of farming people

The outcomes of the inquiry closely align with RABI’s long-term outlook, which is focused on addressing the wrap-around needs of farming people.

“To improve the wellbeing of the farming community, providing early, preventative support is crucial,” Alicia explains.

“Over the coming months, we welcome the opportunity to continue helping policymakers develop and deliver greater proactive support and training that will benefit farming people,” she concludes.

You can read RABI’s five-year strategy in full here.