Levels of mental wellbeing among farmers have been falling over the past four years, with the government's inheritance tax proposals adding to the pressure.
This is according to the Farm Safety Foundation, which is running its Mind Your Head campaign this week to raise awareness of the industry's poor mental health.
New research by the charity, which is also known as Yellow Wellies, has revealed that mental health among farmers and agricultural workers is deteriorating.
In its sample of over 750 farmers, 9 out of 10 respondents (91%) agreed that poor mental health is the ‘biggest hidden problem’ facing the farming industry today.
Last year was challenging for farming and, given the added stress that many are experiencing, ensuring they prioritise their wellbeing has never been more important, the charity says.
The known pressures - including traditional stressors and barriers to support, coupled with the impact of measures announced in the budget - are leading to increased levels of stress and uncertainty, it warns.
The government announced a reform of agricultural property relief (APR) in the autumn budget, meaning farms worth more than £1m will incur a 20% inheritance tax charge from 2026.
Recent months have seen farmers travel to parliament and supermarket car parks to show their frustration at the proposals.
Yellows Wellies warns that since the budget, levels of uncertainty and anxiety are increasing, as well as rising concerns about an uncertain future for the industry and UK food production.
The charity’s research also shows that, on average, farmers worked longer hours in 2024 than they did in 2023.
A full-time worker in the UK works 36.4 hours per week, but farmers work an average of 60 hours a week, with 44% of those aged between 41 and 60 years working more than 81 hours a week.
One in three farmers who work more than nine hours a day admit to having had an accident or a near miss in the past 12 months, demonstrating the link between long hours and working safely.
When mental wellbeing is factored in, the evidence revealed that farmers with lower mental wellbeing scores were significantly more likely to admit to working unsafely and risk-taking.
Stephanie Berkeley, manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said the pressures on farmers today "are unlike anything we've seen before".
She said: "Farming has always been one of the most demanding industries, but the added strain of long hours, rural isolation and financial insecurity is putting farmers at risk.
"For us to change the cultural reluctance to discuss mental health, we need to listen and learn what young farmers are feeling, what their attitudes are and what they are doing to address it themselves.”
The Mind Your Head campaign, now in its eighth year, started on Monday (10 February) and will finish at the end of this week.
