A €10 million investment to support mental health programmes will help to deliver “much needed additional support” for farm families, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
IFA’s Farm Family and Social Affairs chair, Teresa Roche said: “This funding towards mental health services is an essential investment for the overall health and well-being of farm families, which will not only improve the lives of those directly affected by mental health challenges, but also contributes to a healthier, more compassionate rural Ireland”.
Roche said that having proper financial support in place will ensure that farm families are able to access health services including “prevention programmes and early treatment approaches”.
She also believes that it is vital to reduce “any stigma” around asking for help and support when it is needed.
According to the Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, the government’s total spend on mental health services has grown to €1.3 billion.
Minister Butler said a further €10 million investment announced this week for these services underlines the government’s recognition “of mental health as a central component to overall health”.
Stress
Latest research from Teagasc suggests that 57% of farmers experienced stress over a five year period, with 13% of farmers reporting being stressed all or most of the time.
Weather conditions, workloads and farm finance issues were identified by farmers as some of the key stress factors.
According to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) farmers have been identified as a group with a “poor personal health profile”.
Minister Butler has said that farmers are also a “priority group” under the Health Service Executive’s national suicide reduction strategy Connecting for Life.
She also said that it is “imperative” that the stigma around mental health is reduced, especially in the farming community.
The minister said that the government has funded a number of initiatives specifically for the farming community such as ‘On Feirm Ground’ and the ‘Dying to Farm’ research study to ensure that the appropriate health services are available.