Three lives a week. That’s the stark estimate for suicide in UK farming, a sector where the pressure rarely pauses and the workplace is also home. Fresh research from Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) lands with a jolt: only 25% of agricultural workers feel able to approach a colleague they fear may be suicidal, and just one in three would know where to point them for help. Released for World Suicide Prevention Day, the findings paint a clear picture—people see the warning signs but don’t feel equipped to act.
MHFA has teamed up with suicide prevention advocate Steve Phillip to push for a culture shift. Phillip, who founded the Jordan Legacy CIC after losing his son Jordan in 2019, puts it bluntly: pride and a fear of burdening others stop many farmers from opening up. He warns against assuming people will seek help on their own. Trust is a barrier. Pride is a barrier. And in a small rural community, privacy can feel fragile.
The data behind this story isn’t abstract. Industry figures suggest three farming deaths by suicide every week. The Office for National Statistics has recorded a rise in suicide deaths in the farming community each year from 2021 to 2023. Male farmworkers face roughly three times the suicide risk of the national male average. When you put those numbers next to the confidence gap in starting a conversation, you see the problem: risk is high, but readiness to act is low.
Why this is different for farmers
Farming piles stressors on top of one another. Isolation is routine. Workdays stretch before sunrise and after dark. Weather, disease outbreaks, and volatile markets flip plans overnight. Many farmers shoulder large debts while trying to keep food prices competitive for retailers. Family life and work life blur—disputes at home are also disputes at work. For some, access to lethal means, like firearms, raises the stakes when crisis hits.
There’s also the culture. In a community built on self-reliance, asking for help can feel like failure. That’s not a character flaw; it’s a learned response from years of having to fix things alone. Add in patchy mobile signal, long travel to appointments, and the reality that clinics keep office hours while calving doesn’t, and standard mental health services don’t always fit.
Even knowing where to turn can be tricky. Many farmers don’t see a GP regularly. Some worry a diagnosis could affect insurance or licensing. Others fear word will spread in tight-knit towns. That’s why Phillip’s call to “meet them on their turf” matters. Auction marts. Game shoots. Machinery shows. Farm walks. Places where farmers already gather—and feel comfortable.
When support is visible in those spaces, it feels less like “seeking help” and more like part of the day. That subtle shift is important. People are likelier to talk when the first step doesn’t involve a formal waiting room.
Practical steps that work
Phillip argues for a targeted approach: take services to auction marts, feed stores, markets, and other hubs; train the people farmers routinely meet; and make it simple to spot risk and start a conversation. Here’s what that can look like on the ground:
- Gatekeeper training for auctioneers, vets, feed reps, machinery dealers, hauliers, and lenders—people who see farmers often and can notice changes.
- Drop-in wellbeing booths at marts and seasonal shows with trained listeners available during busy sale days.
- On-farm toolbox talks where a mental health practitioner joins existing safety briefings.
- Mobile clinics timed around lambing, harvest, or market schedules.
- Quiet rooms and signposting cards at livestock sales, shoot days, and producer meetings.
Not sure how to start a conversation when you’re worried about someone? You don’t need fancy language or a clinical script. You need to be direct, kind, and practical.
- Start simple: “You don’t seem yourself lately. Want to talk?”
- Ask directly if you’re concerned: “Are you thinking about suicide?” You won’t put the idea in their head by asking.
- Listen more than you speak. Avoid quick fixes or judgment. Silence can help someone get the words out.
- Stay with them if they’re at immediate risk. If danger is imminent, call 999.
- Offer to help with next steps: contacting a GP, phoning a helpline together, or arranging a lift to an appointment.
- Follow up. A text the next day, a coffee next week—small check-ins matter.
Employers and industry groups have a role, too. Simple changes can make a big difference over time:
- Fund Mental Health First Aid training across farm teams and allied trades.
- Build peer networks—named contacts in local areas farmers can call without feeling formal.
- Put helpline details on market entry tickets, mart screens, and receipts.
- Offer flexible hours or cover during crisis periods, even if informally arranged through local networks.
- Brief managers and team leads on how to respond to distress and what to do after a suicide attempt or bereavement.
- Create regular check-ins during high-stress seasons, not just after incidents.
- Work with insurers and lenders to ensure seeking help doesn’t penalize borrowers or policyholders.
Policy matters here, too. Rural mental health isn’t a side issue; it’s part of food security. Stakeholders point to a few fixes that would remove friction:
- Ring-fenced funding for rural mental health services, including mobile teams and outreach at agricultural hubs.
- Targets to cut waiting times in remote areas and enable out-of-hours appointments.
- Investment in rural connectivity so phone and video support actually work.
- Support for training “everyday touchpoints” in the supply chain—auction staff, vets, agronomists—as early spotters.
- Clear postvention support for families, crews, and local markets after a suicide, to reduce trauma and copycat risk.
None of this replaces clinical care. It makes care reachable. It nudges conversations earlier, when they’re easier to have and more likely to help. And it recognizes the reality of farm life: you meet people where they are, or you don’t meet them at all.
For anyone in agriculture who recognizes themselves in this story, you are not a burden. If you’re worried about someone else, you don’t have to be an expert to make a difference. Ask. Listen. Stay. Then help them take the next step.
Where people in the UK commonly turn for support:
- Samaritans (24/7 by phone)
- NHS 111 for urgent mental health support and advice
- Your GP practice or local crisis team
- The Farming Community Network (FCN)
- Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI)
- YANA (You Are Not Alone), the DPJ Foundation (Wales), RSABI (Scotland)
The message from this year is simple: talk sooner, and take support to the places farmers already trust—auction rings, sheds, and fields. Closing the gap between concern and action is how lives are saved.