• Leading rural charity, Farm Safety Foundation release new  research that reveals that levels of mental wellbeing among young farmers have been steadily decreasing over the past four years
• UK farmers work an average of 60 hours per week despite the average full-time UK worker doing 36.4 hours per week
• Office of National Statistics** figures showed 44 suicides were registered in England & Wales among the farming and agricultural industry in 2022.
• To learn more about loneliness and rural isolation in the farming industry, HRH, The Prince of Wales has joined a roundtable of young farmers in Scotland
• The roundtable featuring six young farmers, is part of a campaign to tackle the stigma around poor mental health in the industry.

This week, leading rural charity, Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), are running their 8^th annual Mind Your Head campaign, aiming to raise awareness of, and tackle the stigma around poor mental health in the industry.

Recent research by the charity revealed that poor mental health among farmers and agricultural workers is deteriorating. In the sample of over 750 farmers, 9 out of 10 respondents (91%) agreed that poor mental health is the 'biggest hidden problem' facing the industry today.

There is no doubt that 2024 was a challenging year for farming in the UK and, given the added stress farmers are currently experiencing, ensuring farmers and farm workers prioritise both their physical and mental wellbeing has never been more important.

The reality of a farmer's life is that there are multiple reasons identified as contributing to poor mental health in the industry. The known pressures on farmers - including traditional farm stressors, contextual stressors and barriers to support, coupled with the impact of measures announced in the Autumn budget - are leading to increased levels of stress and uncertainty in the farming community. 

Recent months have seen farmers travel from their fields to the front of the Houses of Parliament and supermarket car parks to show their frustration at the new wave of tax measures being introduced in April 2026. Measures that are increasing levels of uncertainty and anxiety and adding serious concerns about an uncertain future for the industry and food production in the country.

The charity's research showed that, on average, farmers worked longer hours in 2024 than they did in 2023. On average a full-time worker in the UK works  36.4 hours*** per week, however UK farmers work an average of 60 hours a week with an alarming 44% of those aged between 41 and 60 years working more than 81 hours a week.

1 in 3 farmers (33%) who work more than 9 hours a day admit to having had an accident or a near miss in the past 12 months demonstrating the link between long hours and working safely. When mental wellbeing is factored in, the evidence revealed that farmers with lower mental wellbeing scores were significantly more likely to admit to working unsafely and risk-taking, something that raises alarm bells with the Farm Safety Foundation, especially as their research shows that the levels of mental wellbeing in those working in the industry have been steadily deteriorating over the past four years.

To understand what the next generation are doing to address the issue, the charity brought together some members of the Scottish Association of Young Farmer's Clubs (SAYFC) from the Angus area joined by HRH, The Prince of Wales to a special roundtable to learn about their attitudes to resilience and address loneliness and rural isolation. SAYFC have encouraged conversations around mental health as far back as 2016 when they launched "Are Ewe Okay? an initiative aiming to break the stigma surrounding mental wellbeing for young farmers based in rural Scotland.

The roundtable was hosted by Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation at East Scryne Farm in Carnoustie and featured SAYFC President Ally Brunton, HRH, The Prince of Walesand five young farmers from the Angus region.

Stephanie observed: "This has been a challenging time for farming – the most challenging I can recall. The pressures on farmers today are unlike anything we've seen before. Farming has always been one of the most demanding industries, but the added strain of long hours, rural isolation and financial insecurity is putting farmers at risk. For us to change the cultural reluctance to discuss mental health, we need to listen and learn what young farmers are feeling, what their attitudes are and what they are doing to address it themselves."

Stephanie concluded: "It was an absolute honour to have His Royal Highness join our discussions. We are a small charity and have been running the Mind Your Head campaign for eight years now so, to have such a high-profile guest interested in what we are doing means the issue can have greater visibility. Farming is an industry dedicated to working the land, conserving our countryside and producing food to the highest standards. Farmers put food on our tables three times a day but they are going through a rough time at the minute so they should be supported and protected. While we are seeing more openness around what used to be such a taboo subject, we have to continue to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, normalise conversations and sow the seeds of wellbeing and resilience in the sector."

For more information on the Mind Your Head campaign please visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow them on social media - @yellowwelliesUK on Facebook, Instagram and X using the hashtag #MindYourHead.