If you are in immediate danger, call 999 now. If you need to talk right now, call Samaritans on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
Why this hits hard
Farmers have one of the highest suicide rates of any occupation. The isolation is physical, not just social — you can go days without seeing another person.
You work with things you cannot control: weather, disease, market prices, and government policy. A bad year is not a bad week — it can wipe out everything you have built.
The farm is your home, your income, and your identity all in one. When the farm struggles, everything struggles. There is no leaving it at the door.
Signs you are not okay
If you recognise yourself here, that is not a weakness. It is a sign to act.
Pulling back from markets, auctions, or neighbours you usually see
Noticing the means are there and thinking about them
A bad season turning into a feeling that it will never end
Drinking alone or more than usual
Feeling like the farm, the debt, or the pressure is all on you
Where to turn
R.A.B.I
Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution — practical and emotional help
What you can do right now
Call FCN. They speak farmer. They know what a bad season actually means and they will not judge.
If you have noticed the means are there, tell someone and let them help you put distance between you and it. That is not weakness — that is planning to stay alive.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. The land will still be there. You need to be there too.
You have spent your life feeding everyone else. You are not a burden for needing someone to look after you now. The hardest ground to break is your own silence. Break it.
Your story could save a life in Farming & Agriculture
If you have been through the storm and found a way through — or if you are still in it — other men in farming & agriculture need to hear it. No graphic details. No methods. Just honest words about what happened, what helped, and what kept you here.
Share Your StoryYou can submit anonymously. Every story is reviewed before it is published.
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