Countryfile presenter Adam Henson's plea to tackle 'disastrous' rural issue

Mr Henson, who presents a podcast in which he talks to farmers about the difficult times they have been through, said: “We have some of the worst statistics out there. One farmer a week takes their own life.

“We have this bravado attitude – that may be a bit of a sweeping statement – because it’s tough out there and we’re also having to cut corners because we’re desperate to make money.

"We’re not taking the right careful applications to what we’re doing and putting the risk assessments in place. It’s not only deaths, there are some horrible accidents that affect the individuals, their family and of course their workplace as well.

“Is it really the best job in the world? I still think it is. I think it is an amazing environment, but what is our culture in the business we’re all in. The agricultural food supply chain has to do something about it.

“It’s about the way we look after our mental wellbeing, the way we look after ourselves physically, but it’s also the culture particularly looking at younger people about how we tell the story around agriculture and what we do in our lives, the messages we make and the messages we take.”

Mr Henson added farmers were facing a wide range of pressures, including the worst harvest he could remember and autumn planting “being impossible as it was last year”.

He said on top of that farmers were facing the end of the government farm support system and that wars in Ukraine and the Middle East were having a big effect on commodity prices and the exchange rate.

Mr Henson, who employs 150 staff at his Cotswold Farm Park enterprise, said: “As employers, farmers haven’t necessarily been very good at looking after their staff over the years. We’re expected to work 18 hours a day, drink Red Bull and eat on the run. That has got to be a thing of the past. Yes, we have to graft, but we have got to look after ourselves at the same time.”

The television personality’s call for action follows the publication of HSE figures earlier this year underlining how farming continues to have the poorest safety record of any occupation in the UK with 35 people losing their lives on farms in 2023/24.

Being injured by an animal was the number one cause of work-related deaths on British farms between 2022 and 2023, when eight people died.

Together, livestock and farm vehicle incidents account for half of the deaths at work on British farms in the past five years.

Alex Cormack, of Lycetts Risk Management Services, said: “The number of fatalities serves as a stark reminder for anyone involved in agriculture that safety must always be a top priority.

“While accidents can happen, many are preventable. It is crucial to implement and maintain rigorous safety protocols, which may include regular training, the proper use of equipment and strictly adhering to all safety guidelines. Farmers should also conduct regular risk assessments to identify and mitigate potential hazards on their farms. By taking these proactive steps, we can reduce the number of preventable incidents and protect the lives of both workers and the public in this essential industry.”