HSE targets agriculture with mental health campaign

A new campaign to tackle work-related stress and poor mental health in agriculture has been launched.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said agriculture is one of five sectors that will be targeted in its Working Minds campaign.

While the full effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is yet to be fully understood, the HSE said mental health issues are now the main reason for sick days.

See also: Analysis: The grim state of mental health in agriculture

Last year, more than 17m working days were lost because of stress, anxiety or depression, the regulator said. A recent survey by the charity Mind suggests that two in five employees had seen their mental health worsen during the pandemic.

The HSE is calling for a culture change across Britain’s farms to ensure psychological risks are treated the same as physical ones in health and safety risk management.

The campaign aims to help farm businesses recognise the signs of work-related stress and make tackling issues routine.

A number of farming organisations have partnered with the HSE to highlight the triggers of stress, the legal duty of employers and how to manage the risks. 

Farmer speaks out

The network of Working Minds champions includes the Farm Safety Foundation, which earlier this year shared former Cornish farmer James Hosking’s experience of mental ill health.

Mr Hosking has spoken out about his mental health crisis, which left him feeling so low that he thought about taking his own life.

The Farm Safety Foundation, also known as Yellow Wellies, is supporting the campaign.

Its manager, Stephanie Berkeley said: “Physical and mental health need to have equal air-time, because they’re so importantly linked.

“We know from our research that for 92% of young farmers poor mental health is the biggest hidden danger in farming today, and that’s why we’re joining up with the the Health and Safety Executive on this very valuable campaign.”

Sarah Albon, HSE chief executive, said: “Work-related stress and poor mental health should be treated with the same significance as risks of poor physical health and injury. In terms of the effect it has on workers, significant and long-term stress can limit performance and affect personal lives. 

“No worker should suffer in silence and if we don’t act now to improve workers’ mental health, this could evolve into a health and safety crisis.”

Mental health survey

A study of more than 15,000 people for the recent Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution’s Big Farming Survey, carried out by academics from the University of Exeter, revealed disturbing findings about the mental health crisis in the farming industry.

While 36% of the entire farming community had described themselves as “probably” or “possibly” depressed, for women in agriculture the figure was 43%.

Last month, Farmers Weekly launched Dying to Feed You, a new campaign that aims to highlight the risks being taken by farmers every day as they strive to put food on the nation’s plates.

To find out more about Working Minds, visit the HSE website.