At FWAG South West we are supporting the “Time To Change” movement that seeks to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. That’s why on February 7^th, we’re taking part in Time to Talk Day – because we should all be able to talk about mental health anywhere, including at work.

We take the mental health of our work FWAG South West colleagues very seriously, but we also want to encourage our farmer friends, members and clients to talk about any mental health issues they may be experiencing.

Long hours, isolation, financial hardship, bad weather, livestock disease and regulation are all huge pressures on our agricultural workers and the industry is very susceptible to mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. Sadly, we lose one agricultural worker a week in the UK to suicide, according to the Office for National Statistics.

If you feel that you cannot talk to a trusted colleague, friend or family member, there are many organisations that you can contact, in confidence, that can offer you practical help with mental health issues, including

• Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) Tel   0808 281 9490 (Free)
• The Farming Community Network (FCN) Tel  03000 111 999
• The Samaritans Tel 116 123 (Free)

And if you have a visit from a FWAG South West adviser, you can start your own conversation with them about Mental Health, if you wish. We are not trained counsellors, but we will always listen and try to help wherever we can.

For more details on Time To Talk, you can visit the website by clicking here.