More than half of farmers in Powys asked about their mental health said it was an issue that affected them.

A survey conducted by farm support charity Tir Dewi also revealed that 67% of those questioned may not ask for help with mental health issues out of embarrassment or fear of the effect on their reputation. Another factor was knowing where to go for help, with 58% saying they didn’t know what support was available.

The charity launched its confidential, free service in Powys at the Virtual Royal Welsh Show, and unveiled the findings of its survey to coincide.

Speaking at an FUW event – Mental Health: How Are You Doing? at the show, Gareth Davies, Tir Dewi’s CEO, said:

“Farmers will often see (mental health issues) as the normal stresses of the job, because it is a very intensive job. In the run-up to our launch in Powys we conducted a survey and 51% of farmers saw mental health as an issue affecting them.

“If that were a car parts factory in Bridgend, or a call centre in Swansea, there would be outrage. But because it’s farmers, who are a group of people who are geographically disparate, naturally isolated and known for ‘just getting on with it’ there seems to be little said.”

The FUW made a commitment at the Royal Welsh Show in 2017 to keep the spotlight on mental health issues for as long as it remained a problem in rural communities.

Suzy Deeley, Corporate Partnership Manager of charity RABI, said some callers reaching out to them for support were already mentioning the pressures of Covid-19.

But she warned that the true consequences of the pandemic were likely to become apparent further down the road.

“What we see with our experience, whether it’s weather-related or animal disease related, is that in the crux of the problem people tend to get on with things,” she said. “The big influx for us tends to come in the aftermath of these events, when people sit down and assess.”

Emma Picton-Jones, Founder of the DPJ Foundation, urged those close to anyone with mental health issues to encourage them to talk.

“Don’t be afraid to talk about it,” she said. “Have those conversations, ask lots of questions. Try and get them to empty that bucket that they’ve got going on in their head.”

• Watch the event here…