Dr Neil Hudson MP, Shadow DEFRA Minister and Officer of the APPG on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention, has backed a campaign to tackle suicide risk in the UK’s farming community.
The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), a member of The Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network, held its ninth annual Mind Your Head week (9–13 February 2026) with a renewed focus on suicide awareness and prevention in agriculture.
The campaign comes at a critical time. The latest Office for National Statistics figures show that 47 suicides were registered in England and Wales among those working in farming and agriculture in 2024, a 7% increase since 2022. New research from the charity also reveals that overall wellbeing in the farming community has fallen to its lowest level in four years. The decline is particularly stark among farmers over 40, with the sharpest drop among those aged 61 and over.
As part of The Royal Foundation’s £1 million commitment to drive innovation in suicide prevention, the Farm Safety Foundation is collaborating with fellow National Suicide Prevention Network member Baton of Hope to launch a farming-specific digital Suicide Awareness & Prevention eLearning module. Tailored specifically to agriculture, the training will help participants recognise warning signs, use supportive language, develop simple safety plans and access specialist support. It aims to ensure conversations about suicide in rural communities are realistic, relevant and rooted in lived experience.
Dr Neil Hudson has long championed better mental health support for rural communities. In May 2025, he joined the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution at a roundtable examining persistent inequalities in physical and mental health outcomes across rural areas. As a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee in the previous Parliament, Dr Hudson initiated a landmark Rural Mental Health Report, which highlighted the need to address shocks such as flooding and animal disease outbreaks that can devastate livelihoods and exacerbate mental health pressures.
As Shadow DEFRA Minister, his commitment to this cause has continued in Parliament, where he has urged action at the Despatch Box and criticised the Government’s decision to cut the Farming Resilience Fund, which was established by the previous Government to safeguard farmers’ and rural communities’ mental wellbeing.
Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest, said:
“Our farmers and rural communities are the backbone of this country, yet far too many are silently struggling. The rise in suicides and the sharp decline in wellbeing must be a wake-up call.
“Farming brings unique pressures: isolation, long hours, financial uncertainty and the cumulative impact of disease outbreaks, extreme weather and policy change. Support must be accessible, relevant and tailored to agricultural life.
“I strongly welcome the Farm Safety Foundation’s leadership through Mind Your Head week and the development of targeted suicide prevention training. I will continue working in Parliament to ensure rural mental health receives the priority it deserves.”
Stephanie Berkeley, Manager of the Farm Safety Foundation, said:
“Over the past nine years, we have made significant strides in raising awareness and improving education around mental health. However, when it comes to suicide prevention, progress has been far more limited.
“While agriculture in the UK benefits from rural support groups and charities who deliver vital, high-quality support, a critical gap remains; there is still very little suicide prevention training tailored specifically for those working in agriculture.
“Farming brings a unique set of pressures - long hours, isolation, financial uncertainty, generational expectations and physical risk. Conversations about suicide in rural communities require approaches that are real, relatable and rooted in lived experience. Without training designed for the realities of agricultural life, we risk leaving those most vulnerable without the tools they need to recognise warning signs and intervene effectively.”
Karen Hodgson, Associate Director at The Royal Foundation, said:
“We are proud to support this project, led by two of the National Suicide Prevention Network’s partners. It is great to see collaboration in action, bringing innovative approaches to suicide prevention and reaching communities that need it most. This work will make a real difference to those living and working in rural communities across the UK.”
For more information on the Mind Your Head campaign, please visit www.yellowwellies.org or follow them on social media - @yellowwelliesUK on Facebook, Instagram and X using the hashtag #MindYourHead.
