Great Yorkshire Show 2025: A display of togetherness as mental health is hot topic at scorching Great Yorkshire Show

There is a sense of positivity and hope on the showground, they added, that springs from the links that bind such communities together.

Ripponden dairy farmer and NFU vice president Rachel Hallos said the Great Yorkshire Show represented the rural showcase “where you get to the truth and the reality of what is going on in farming”.

She said: “I am getting mixed feedback. There is an overarching ‘what’s going on, have we got anything sorted, will they U-turn on inheritance tax, have we run out of brass for Sustainable Farming Incentive?’ These are the conversations.

“Farmers deal with what is in front of them right now. They are thinking about crops not looking good, not having enough grass for livestock, what will the hosepipe ban mean. But the reality of the long term is dawning and that is where they are at now.”

The union leader said the show was a rare opportunity for farmers to take time off working and not feel guilty because they are surrounded by other farmers doing the same.

She said: “They will come and show, talk to other farmers, realise we are all in the same boat and that will give them a bit of solace. This is why shows are so important.

“This year, there is a focus on mental health and for this moment in time, you can lean over a fence, talk about other people’s animals because you do, and just have a conversation with somebody.

“The Great Yorkshire Show is a platform - there are politicians here, big retailers here, like-minded members, press interviews. This is what it is all about - telling our story. This is a safe place for farmers. They are used to it, it is familiar, they can be totally honest.”

Ms Hallos said while all the organisations in farming were coming together to battle against the Government’s tax reforms, the only way to challenge the proposals as they are would be to exert pressure through MPs.

She said: “They need evidence they can go to the Treasury with.

"It is really boring, but we need farmers to write letters to their MP. They will be getting letters about hospital appointments and potholes. They need to get letters about inheritance tax, you need to tell them their story and that makes it real.”

Also attending the show, Alicia Chivers, chief executive of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), hailed the event for uniting people from across the industry and from all farming backgrounds.

Those threads, she added, in shared memories made or chance conversations in the cattle sheds or sheep pens, are what knit together a sector that is "unparalleled" in its support.

"There are undoubtedly a lot of challenges for farming, but there are quite a lot of positives and solutions," she said. "We are a resilient community."

RABI is a charity offering support to farming people in hardship in England. One of the biggest challenges for the sector is around wellbeing, and health.

Farmers are tough, said Ms Chivers, sometimes to their own detriment. The charity is looking to potentially double its volunteer base, dipping into pockets of community.

They are "knocking on an open door," said Ms Chivers, with events like the Great Yorkshire Show already a lifeline.

"I'm a farmer's daughter. Being custodians of the land, caring for livestock - I've not found a sector with such compassion," said Ms Chivers.

"Our solutions are community driven," she added.

"It's easy for us as individuals to feel powerless. We are all able to make change. This farming community is almost unparallelled - and that is a super-power."

Countryfile presenter Matt Baker, who has spoken openly about his own mental health challenges related to his farming background as a youth, was watching the Young Handlers, said the event brought back memories of visiting the Harrogate showground at their age.

"It's an amazing celebration, of incredible stuff," he said. "The people that are here, the tech, the animals - it's just massive. You never forget that."

Clearly at home on the showground, the television personality was particularly generous with his time as he spoke with fans.

The showground, on the third day, was scorching with temperatures in the high 20s, and with more forecast today. In the pig rings, farmers were worrying about sunburn.

As Mr Baker said: "It's wonderful weather for shows - terrible weather for agriculture. What a show though for British agriculture," he added.

"It's testament to the brilliance of the show, and it just shows it will be here for a long time to come."