Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mental health support the Government provides to farmers.

Delivery of mental health interventions sits with the Department for Health and Social Care, who are investing in mental health to ensure it receives the same attention as physical health. This includes the hiring of 8,500 new mental health support workers, which will reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to people’s homes – including in rural communities.

Defra is supporting farming welfare organisations through funding the Farmer Welfare Grant. This aids organisations to deliver projects which will support mental health and build resilience in local farming communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource is available to anyone and provides business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression and suicide.

Currently, grant recipients operate in Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and online via the FCN’s FarmWell platform. Subject to budget prioritisation, we aim to continue and expand support for mental health in the agricultural sector and increase the number of areas receiving grant funding.

The RPA also runs a Welfare Forum, which brings together England’s largest farming and welfare organisations that provide mental health support to discuss issues farmers are facing.