Supporting stressed farmers

As a group, farmers have one of the highest suicide rates in the UK. The foot-and-mouth outbreak threatens to worsen this already worrying situation says Ryan Dilley.

Stress, isolation and fear are three important triggers in the development of mental illness, depression and perhaps a despair so deep it prompts thoughts of suicide.

"To see them slaughtered, that must be soul-destroying"

With the current foot-and-mouth outbreak bringing livestock farming to its knees, the UK's already embattled farmers surely figure as the nation's most stressed, isolated and fearful group.

Even before the disease took hold, Britain's farmers had one of the highest suicide rates - with a death reported every week.

Prince Charles, donating £500,000 to help farmers hit by the crisis, articulated the fears many people have about the psychological cost of foot-and-mouth:

"This outbreak is imposing severe stress and anxiety on many individuals and families. There can be no doubt that the risks of suicides among rural communities is heightened."

Suicide fears

Already police in Devon have begun to take firearms away from some farmers "as a precaution".

Geoffrey Dolling, managing partner at the livestock market at Taunton in Somerset, says farmers have "endured many problems in the past five years, but believe you me, this is crisis time".

A market closes, and so does a pressure valve

The market once acted as a meeting place for farmers, somewhere to air and share grievances. Foot-and-mouth has seen this pressure valve closed.

"For some farmers up in the hills, the market is the only place they ever see anybody. Now farmers are being encouraged not to meet," says Mr Dolling.

Seeing healthy animals ready for market confined to the farm, growing fat, eating into feed stocks and profit margins, is greatly frustrating for farmers, he says.

"But for a man who's calved cows and brought them up only to see them slaughtered, that must be soul-destroying."

Needing support

The Reverend David Ursell, a clergyman farmer from North Devon, says the travel restrictions imposed to halt the disease's spread have hamstrung existing support networks.

Mr Ursell co-ordinated a scheme whereby local solicitors, land agents and the like offered free advice and help for worried farmers at home. These visits have now stopped.

Farms are literally isolated from others

"Isolation is the major problem. Now there is a real sense of confinement too, with farmers unable or unwilling to leave their property."

Mr Ursell, whose own cattle farm is close to a foot-and-mouth outbreak, has organised deliveries of groceries to trapped colleagues, bringing along cards and letters of support from fellow parishioners.

"We're also ringing local church bells at noon and telling farmers to listen out for them and to know people are praying for them as they ring."

Lifeline

The telephone remains a lifeline for many rural people, with support groups, such as the Rural Stress Information Service, reporting a 10-fold increase in the number of calls in the past fortnight.

However, in times of trouble the contact number of a helpline is often the last thing on a farmer's mind, says chartered psychologist John Pooley, himself once a farmer and an expert on rural stress.

Foot-and-mouth is another blow for farmers

"You can have the support mechanisms in place, but during a crisis a farmer may batten down the hatches and cut themselves off. Some may see seeking help as an admission of failure."

For some farmers, especially those now confined to their land, it is not easy to find respite from their problems, says Mr Pooley.

"You can't help but take your work home with you. It's your farm, all your life is there. Your business is tied to your house and tied to your family. It's in your face all the time."

Losing contact

Neighbours offer a convenient shoulder to cry on for many of us, but, says Mr Pooley, foot-and-mouth's rapid spread has left some farmers fearful of contacting local friends just when they need them most.

"Farmers are 'high control' people, they like to make their own decisions. This outbreak has seen some lose that control as the government has begun telling them what to do on their farms."

Farmers are losing control to outside experts

Mr Pooley says all of these feelings of uncertainty and helplessness are a "recipe for high anxiety, which could easily lead to depression".

It is up to friends, relatives and support groups to be "proactive", says Mr Pooley, checking on farmers and if necessary alerting appropriate organisations.

"It's not enough to say the support services are there. You have to ask if someone is okay, even if you get a rejection from them."