RSABI is supporting this year’s Farm Safety Week (20-24 July) organised by the charity Farm Safety Foundation encouraging the farming community to recognise the real dangers of working in the industry and the importance of looking after their physical and mental wellbeing each and every day, not just for Farm Safety Week.

In 2019/2020 a total of 20 agricultural workers lost their lives on GB farms, down from 32 in the previous year, but the industry still has the poorest safety record in the UK.

Looking after your mental wellbeing, and recognising when you need a bit of help, is incredibly important. If you’re struggling with your mental wellbeing you could be more distracted and may be at greater risk of having an accident.

That’s why we’d encourage you to talk to someone if you’re stressed or feeling low. This could be a family member, friend, neighbour or giving RSABI a call. It’s vital that we take time away from the busyness of day-to-day life to talk to others about things that are on our mind and how we’re feeling.

In recent years it’s been encouraging to see more and more people open up about their own experiences of mental health and wellbeing, helping to reduce stigma. We all have mental wellbeing and one in four of us will be affected by a mental health issue in any given year.

At RSABI all our helpline staff and volunteers are trained in mental health first aid, and calls are answered in confidence. We can provide emotional support, including regular phone calls and arrange counselling services.

We often find that there is something triggering poor mental wellbeing – this could be worries about the business, family or animals. As well as emotional support RSABI provides a range of practical and financial help. For example, we can access specialist business plans to help farmers find a way forward, give advice on benefits you may be entitled to and access mediation if there’s a family dispute.

The support we give is very much tailored to each person. And if we can’t help directly, we usually know someone who can.

If something’s worrying you please get in touch with us by calling 0300 111 4166. If you know someone who needs our help please ask them if we can give them a call. You can find out more about how we can help by visiting our website www.rsabi.org.uk.

Farm Safety Week is an initiative led by the Farm Safety Foundation and supported by the Farm Safety Partnerships, the Health & Safety Executive, Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and the Health & Safety Authority, Ireland.

For more information visit the Farm Safety Foundation website and follow @yellowwelliesuk on social media.