Government urged to tackle farmer suicide, with MPs deeply concerned over rural mental health

The research by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee expressed “deep concern” about how isolation, poor public transport and a relative lack of digital connectivity have contributed to poor mental health.

The cross-party group of MPs pointed to evidence which suggests a higher rate of suicide among agricultural and veterinary workers compared to the broader population.

Vets, who often deal with animal deaths, culls and epidemics, are also affected by stress, with research noting that 77 per cent of British Veterinary Association members had been concerned about a colleague or fellow student’s mental health and wellbeing.

“Rural communities face a unique set of challenges,” said Sir Robert Goodwill, the chair of the committee.

“High on the list are limited access to mental health services, poor public transport and unpredictable crises like animal diseases.

“All this has an inevitable toll on peoples’ mental health – and yet the mental health services people in rural areas can access are few and far between

“Rural mental health needs to be a top priority for Defra – and the Department should take the lead on this report’s recommendations for much more joined-up action across government.”

The report made several recommendations as to how the situation could be improved for those living in rural areas, with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs urged to take a more active role in suicide prevention policy and recongising the impact on agricultural and veterinary workers.

In addition, MPs recommended that more should be done to make sure that local areas are equipped from the mental health impacts of extreme events such as flooding or animal deaths, with the Government told to explore how farm workers and vets can take more time off work when they need it.

“Defra, DHSC, the NHS and the Department for Transport should set out rural transport policies that provide rural communities with access to health services that is as good as the access urban communities enjoy,” the report noted.

Defra conceded to the Committee that the disparate, localised way mental health services were delivered in rural areas made it “challenging” to “generate useful insights”.

It comes after rural and county councils across England warned they have seen a stark rise in overweight adults, with almost two-thirds of over-18s in these areas deemed overweight or obese.

Analysis from the County Councils Network (CNN) suggested that the number of adults who were overweight or obese had increased by 1.1 million in county and rural areas since 2015, accounting for more than half of the total increase across England.

The country had seen a total rise of two million more people classified as overweight since 2015.