On Sunday 12th May, ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Dr Neil Hudson MP took part in a special episode of BBC's Countryfile programme to shine a light on the acute stresses on rural mental health and the wider agricultural industry.
Dr Hudson is incredibly passionate about boosting rural mental health. Indeed his route into politics began following the devastation he witnessed as a Veterinary Inspector during the 2001 Foot and Mouth Crisis and as the only vet in the House of Commons he triggered an Inquiry into Rural Mental Health which resulted in a report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee on which he sits. You can read the full report with its suite of Government recommendations here.
You can watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer here.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"As an MP and vet I was pleased to take part in a special episode of BBC’s Countryfile dedicated to a great passion of mine - rural mental health.
"From TB testing, flooding and infectious disease outbreaks: these are just some of the acute pressures challenging rural mental health and are outlined in a report I triggered on our Commons EFRA Select Committee.
"With #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek with us, hope is out there and with support training, charities and government work we can come together to seek solutions. For my part, I will continue shining a light on this issue and work with government to try to improve the situation for folk.
"As such, I'm incredibly thankful to Countryfile for inviting me on their programme and for dedicating the entire show to, what I believe is a critical issue for our rural communities.”
