Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is dead right. The work is isolated in nature. I know that from my time farming at home. The days were long. If I was in the tractor on my own all day doing a job or out tending to fencing or to livestock, I could have too much time with my own thoughts, I used to find. It does not happen in politics much; we tend to be much busier and kept well distracted. I am being flippant about what is a very serious issue here. The truth is that there is that isolated nature of the challenges, and if that person tends to live on their own or does not have the family support network, it can be an even greater risk. In many respects what we are talking about here is the people themselves identifying that they are under pressure. They might not realise they are under as much pressure. They might not realise that the fact that they have not been sleeping right or that they are not eating right has all contributed to this buildup. A lot of what On Feirm Ground is about is training those people who engage with farmers or who meet them such as their advisers, the vets and the feed merchants who come into the yard. When they identify that the farmer is struggling, they can signpost supports that exist for them.

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