Natasha Newsome Drennan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming. The figure of one in four people being at risk of suicide is an alarming one. I can see how it happens. I have a farm at home and without Teagasc in Mullinavat most people would not have their paperwork done. For the older farmers it all just came in and was another headache. It was a headache they did not need. On a farm, one is isolated. There are financial worries. The costs of diesel, food and everything have increased and everything is a worry. As Deputy Kenny said, being on a farm is therapeutic. We all go down to the farm for a rest from everyday life but that can bring you down. Even though there is a TB helpline for ACRES, we need better helplines for people who have a problem so they can be calmed down and work through the problems. It might just be something as small as a helpline that will put people's minds at ease.

In regard to the health checks operated by Croí, how did farmers react to them? I can imagine there are many farmers who do not call on the phone. They may be kind of stand-offish and say they do not have a problem and there is nothing wrong with them. How do we get more of those farmers to engage? Is there another way to target them by not calling it a "health check"? Can we engage with them in some other way so that they do not actually realise they are having this conversation? It is the farmers who are not picking up the phone who are the worry.