SCHOOL EDITION 29 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 13
BALMORAL SHOW
FARMWEEK
MAY 16 2019
13
Working together for farmers
F
OLLOWING on the success
of the previous three years,
Rural Support has once again
joined forces at Balmoral
Show with the Health and
Safety Executive for Northern
Ireland (HSENI) and the Farm
Families Health Checks Programme
to highlight important health and
safety issues facing the farming
community.
This joint stand offers a wide
range of information and advice for
farmers and farming families to help
protect the greatest asset in the
farm business – the farmer.
Rural Support’s recent ‘Resilient
Farmers’ Conference’ delivered a
key message that farmers’ health
and building resilience within
our farming community is the
responsibility of everyone, including
government and statutory agencies,
key
stakeholders
within
the
agricultural industry and farmers
themselves.
Following on from this conference,
at this year’s show Rural Support
will be continuing this theme of
building resilience and will focus on
highlighting how we as individuals,
businesses and agencies can help
those in the farming community
who are struggling to cope with the
pressures of farming. Rural Support
will be asking representatives of
those businesses and agencies and
also visitors to the show to save its
freephone helpline number 0800 138
1678 to their mobile phones.
Rural Support Chief Executive Jude
McCann said: “Due to the challenges
and pressures of farming, farmers
n Rural Support is asking those attending the Balmoral
Show to save its helpline number to their mobile phone.
can sometimes be more susceptible
to poor health and wellbeing.
Many farmers are under significant
pressure due to financial issues
and debt problems, TB outbreaks,
succession planning issues and
increasing bureaucracy.
“At this year’s show we will again be
promoting the need to look after our
mental and physical health but also
that we need to be aware of those
individuals within our community,
our workplace and even our own
families who may not be coping with
the pressures of farming. The onus
is on us to assist and support those
individuals to seek appropriate help.
“Even as you read this article – I
ask that any individual who lives or
works in the countryside, if you’re in
contact with farmers or even if you
have an interest in farming to please
save Rural Support’s freephone
helpline number 0800 138 1678 to
your mobile phone. This means that
you will have it to hand at all times
should the need to contact us ever
arise.
“It is vital that we start to build a
community of support, a community
where our farmers and farm families
are resilient and one way of doing
this is to recognise when we or
someone we know isn’t coping with
the pressures we are faced with and
to seek help, whether that be for
ourselves or encouraging others to
do so.”
Rural Support will also be
providing information on its
ongoing services at the Balmoral
Show which help to address issues
that can cause added pressure for
farmers, including:
n stress and anxiety associated
with increasing levels of debt;
n farming paperwork;
n physical and mental health
concerns and
n succession planning
The HSENI/Farm Families Health
Checks Programme/Rural Support
are at stand C67. Please call at
the Rural Support stand to chat
with volunteers, mentors and staff
members.
For more information about
Rural Support contact the
helpline on 0800 138 1678
or visit www.ruralsupport.org.
uk or follow us on Twitter @
RuralSupport