The Bishop of Hereford tabled a question for short debate on the impact of economic uncertainty, regulatory change, and environmental pressures on the mental health of those working in agriculture on 17th September 2026:
The Lord Bishop of Hereford: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of economic uncertainty, regulatory change, and environmental pressures on the mental health of those working in agriculture.
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue in your Lordships’ House. I declare my interest as a patron of the Agricultural Chaplains Association and bishop of the most rural diocese in England. Clergy and agricultural chaplains across my diocese, and indeed the nation, are on the front line of the pastoral response to the mental health crisis among agricultural workers. They are so often the ones who show up in times of crisis and sit with people at their moments of greatest need. They provide comfort to the families of the recently bereaved and take funerals.
Although it is imperfect, evidence suggests that British farming communities experience mental health concerns and likely rates of suicide disproportionate to the general population of Britain. The Royal Agriculture Benevolent Institution’s 2021 Big Farming Survey found that almost a fifth of respondents knew someone who had attempted suicide in the last five years. Indeed, 94% of British farmers agreed that poor mental health is the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today, according to the Farm Safety Foundation’s 2025 report.
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