A key theme arising from the Royal Welsh Winter Fair was the serious mental health issues facing the agricultural community. As we regretfully know, the Farm Safety Foundation survey found that 94% of farmers believed that poor mental health is the greatest issue facing the farming industry.
Commenting on a written question to the Labour Government’s Rural Affairs Minister that revealed little mental health support being offered to the agricultural industry, Welsh Conservative Shadow Rural Affairs Minister, Samuel Kurtz MS said:
“Farmers go above and beyond to feed the nation, in a job that’s often isolated, lonely and with so many variables that can cause anxiety and stress.
“As the Winter Fair concludes, the event would have been an ideal opportunity for the Labour Government to announce targeted support for mental health in the agricultural community, or they could have allayed many fears by given certainty over next year’s farming budget.
“Regrettably, there is no support and no certainty from the Welsh Government and the mood amongst farmers reflects this. Now more than ever farming needs a friend, and only in the Welsh Conservatives is that friend to be found.”
