Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with special responsibility for farm safety Martin Heydon TD has launched a new guidance document on positive mental health in the farming community.

‘Sowing the Seeds of Support: Positive Mental Health Guidance for the Farming Community’ is a joint publication by Mental Health Ireland and Teagasc.

The publication was prepared by Finola Colgan, Mental Health Ireland, and Teagasc health and safety specialists Dr John McNamara and Francis Bligh.

Researchers Dr David Meredith and Dr Diana van Doorn contributed data on recent Teagasc research findings to the publication.

Stress

Research on farmers' mental health was part of the ‘Farmers have Hearts’ cardiovascular health programme completed in 2023.

Researchers found that 13.5% of farmers reported stress at the start of the project, based on a validated scale in a large sample (868), but that this reduced to 8% after one year when farmers availed of a health check and received health promotion messages.

A recent study by Dublin City University and Teagasc revealed that almost one in four farmers reported burnout and half of farmers reported sleep issues which are associated with stress.

The research also identified that knowing when, where and how to seek help when necessary is an important part of taking care of your mental health.

Minister Heydon added that “the total health model underpins the positive messages in the leaflet, whereby farm safety, health and mental health are interrelated and need to be actively managed as a unit”.

Colgan emphasised that stress is an individual experience and the leaflet provides a list of the signs of stress to assist with identifying and dealing with it.

Colgan said: “Each person needs to be able to recognise the signs of stress and how to alleviate the stress by responding to its sources. Seeking support from a reputable source should be considered.”

Management

Highlighting the practical benefit of the leaflet when engaging with farmers, Dr McNamara from Teagasc stated: “The project found that a session of at least 30 minutes duration can help farmers to understand how to manage their mental health.

"This leaflet will be used at Teagasc events and discussion groups to provide guidance to farmers and to assist them in improving their health and stress management.”

Francis Bligh from Teagasc spoke about how taking regular breaks from farming benefits farmers' mental wellbeing and that good work organisation and regular breaks allows farmers to refocus and have a better work-life balance.

Bligh also pointed out that Teagasc and Mental Health Ireland have a comprehensive publication ‘Coping with the Pressures of Farming’ available on their websites.