Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The UCD survey identified 55% farmers with moderate to severe mental health issues and 40% with moderate to extreme anxiety and stress. It also drilled in to look at the sources of those different stresses. Some of the top three included not just the farm and ordinary farming activity but the perception that farmers are the bad guys in climate change and the enemy of so many people. This causes great anxiety for farmers. They are the custodians of the land. They know they are not going to be taking the farm with them to the grave, that they are passing through and that they are going to be handing it on in better condition than they got it. That is their aim. They need to know that somebody has their back and that they are not the bad guys. They are part of the solution to climate change pressures. That weighs very heavily on many farmers. While you can signpost different services, this is more of a global or national message. They need to know that somebody has their back and that they are recognised as part of the solution and not the enemy. I am trying to get a handle on whether there could be a more global approach to this, as well as the hands-on day-to-day approach.

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