Supporting Mental Health in Agriculture

If you’re a regular reader of my updates, you’ll know that one of the real privileges of this job is getting out across our beautiful rural constituency and meeting so many people, including our farmers, growers, and rural businesses.

This week is the national Mind Your Head campaign, running from 9-13 February 2026. It’s coordinated by the Farm Safety Foundation (the “Yellow Wellies” team) and focuses on supporting mental health in agriculture, including crucial work on suicide prevention, early intervention, and reducing stigma in what can often be a very isolating profession. 

We all know that farming isn’t just a job, it’s a livelihood, a heritage, and a lifestyle that comes with long hours, unpredictable conditions, and huge responsibility. Those pressures have been getting tougher in recent years, and research shows that most farmers believe poor mental health is one of the industry’s biggest hidden problems.

Here in West Berkshire, we’re no strangers to these challenges. The “This Is Farming” drop‑in we held in the autumn was a brilliant opportunity to hear directly from farmers about what’s going well, what isn’t, and how national policy and local realities meet on the ground. One of the strongest messages from that event was the need for more open conversations about mental health and the support available.

So, this week is a timely reminder that no one in our community should feel they have to carry the weight alone. Whether it’s the pressure of long days, financial uncertainty, worries about the future of the industry, or the impact of extreme weather on crops and livestock, help is available, and talking about it matters.

Nationally, the campaign offers practical resources, toolkits, and signposting for anyone who might be struggling or wants to support someone else through a difficult time. These kinds of efforts strengthen the message that it’s OK to ask for help.

In Parliament, I’ve continued to raise farmers’ concerns through written questions, oral questions, EDMs, and contributions highlighting the unique pressures experienced by rural communities - making sure that mental health support is part of the conversation when we talk about agricultural policy and rural services. It’s an area I will keep pushing on because if we want farming to thrive, we have to look after the people at its heart.

Take care of yourselves, and mind your head.