Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rural Farmers and Communities

Thursday 30 March 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department's farm welfare forum brings together England's largest farming welfare organisations, providing mental health support.
  • The future farming resilience fund offers free expert business advice, including mental health and wellbeing support.
  • We always have conversations with our colleagues across devolved Administrations to address important issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Mental Health
Context

Farmers face high suicide risks, and recent inquiries highlight the need for better support. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry on rural community mental health and a report by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution detail concerns.

Question

What steps are being taken to support the mental wellbeing of farmers and other members of rural communities? We know that farmers are at high risk of suicide, and recent inquiries highlight the need for better support. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry on rural community mental health and a report by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution reveal significant concerns.

Answer from Mark Spencer

The Department's farm welfare forum brings together England's largest farming welfare organisations, providing excellent mental health support. The future farming resilience fund offers free expert business advice, including mental health and wellbeing support. DEFRA supports community action to tackle loneliness via Action with Communities in Rural England funding. We work with Yellow Wellies charity for advice on identifying potential mental health issues and addressing them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not fully addressed; more details on concrete actions or additional support were expected.

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Q2 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Mental Health
Context

Farmers in Northern Ireland face significant mental health issues, as revealed by Rural Support. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee inquiry on rural community mental health highlights the need for support.

Question

What discussions has the Minister had with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs back home in relation to additional support for our farmers? We could deal with this issue better together across the United Kingdom. Mental illness among farmers is increasing across the whole UK, as revealed by Rural Support.

Answer from Mark Spencer

We always have conversations with our colleagues across devolved Administrations to address important issues. Together, we can encourage conversations and support through various charities. The Government will play their part in supporting these charities.

Not addressed: The question specifically asked about discussions regarding additional support for Northern Irish farmers, but the response did not provide concrete details on such discussions.

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Northern Ireland Agriculture & Rural Affairs Mental Health
Context

Farmers in Northern Ireland face significant mental health issues, as highlighted by Rural Support. The issue is critical and requires additional support.

Question

Mental illness among farmers is greatly increasing across the whole UK. Hundreds of farmers in Northern Ireland are suffering from mental health issues, according to Rural Support. What discussions has the Minister had with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs back home in relation to additional support for our farmers? We could deal with this issue better together across the United Kingdom.

Answer from Mark Spencer

We always have conversations with our colleagues across devolved Administrations to address important issues. Together, we can encourage conversations and support through various charities. The Government will play their part in supporting these charities.

Not addressed: The specific ask was about discussions on additional support for Northern Irish farmers, but the response did not provide concrete details on such discussions.

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