Shropshire Star

Calendars to aid charity helping stressed farmers

Suicide is not a topic anyone wants to discuss, but sadly the farming community is having to face the subject head on.

Published

With mounting financial pressures, a lonely workplace and all sorts of daily problems, the life of a farmer can be far from happy.

"Stress does turn into depression quite quickly sometimes for farmers," said Andrew Bebb, a dairy farmer from Hanwood.

Mr Bebb volunteers at Rural Support, a charity dedicated to offering support to people who experience the problems of rural life.

Speaking as he launched a calendar to raise money for the charity, he explained: "Farming is a very lonely job. Most farms are in the sticks, your nearest neighbour might be more than a mile away, so who do you talk to?

"Your wife might have to leave early morning to travel to work and comes home late at night.

"So we do have some harrowing experiences on the end of the phone, with some very close to taking their own life."

Mr Bebb said the organisation was started back in 1991, adding: "I believe there were 29 attempted suicides in Shropshire's farming community alone that year. People began to realise that this is just not good enough."

With long days spent on the farm seven days a week, financial pressures and falling prices are adding to the stress.

In fact, according to The Farming Community Network, it's a job which carries one of the highest suicide risks – a farmer is three times more likely to take his own life than an average person.

Mr Bebb said: "The prices farmers are seeing at the moment can lead to depression quite easily, and a lot of the time their families don't know how bad it is.

"We might have to call at a specific time because the farmer doesn't want his wife hearing him.

"But sometimes it can be very hard – once I spoke to a man who was very close to killing himself.

"I got in the car and drove straight there not knowing if he would be OK or not, but I reassured him and spent some of the day on the farm with him.

"It is difficult, but you just don't know what could happen if you don't help."

The organisation takes calls from the rural community on all sorts of subjects, from financial trouble to family bereavement.

Mr Bebb said: "It really can be anything, but often it is changes in legislation that affect people.

"A new sheep ear tagging system comes into play soon and that has caused some stress among farmers.

"And the problem with bovine tuberculosis can put real pressure on people. I have a friend who has a test for bovine TB coming up and he is very worried about it.

"That closes down farms quite a lot of the time so it is a huge stress for a lot of farmers."

Last week the Shropshire Star revealed how Bridgnorth farmer, 59-year-old David Fletcher shot himself in July after fears he would lose his livelihood over financial pressures.

And this week an inquest was held into the death of 73-year-old Mike Batkin.

"Anyone who takes their own life, the whole community feels it," said Mr Bebb.

"We might be an isolated community but we all understand things people have to cope with.

"Mr Fletcher was worried about losing his farm, and that must be a dreadful position to be in and it may be that he felt he had no one to share it with.

"We might not always be successful, there may be some people hell bent on taking their life and there might be nothing you can do to stop them, but we are here to listen."

The 750 calendars have been donated by Shropshire-based AgriBusiness Communications and will be sold at farm shops at £5 each.

* To contact Rural Support, call 01743 790033 or 0845 4505888.

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