Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat), on Wednesday, 13 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 35 members in total.

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Mental health in farming

That this House recognises the mental health crisis among the British agricultural sector; acknowledges that 95% of farmers in the UK under the age of 40 ranked poor mental health as one of the biggest hidden problems facing the industry; is concerned by RABI’s findings that revealed that one-in-five respondents to their Big Farming Survey knew someone within the sector who had taken their own life; further recognises the host of challenges facing British farmers from high energy, feed and fertiliser costs to unfair trade deals that have undercut the industry; understands that climate change has increased the risks of flooding and temperature increases that reduce crop yields and disrupt growing seasons; expresses regret at the Government’s recent changes to APR and BPR that will have a negative impact on family farms across the country that are already struggling to be profitable; commends the work of mental health charities such as the Farm Safety Foundation, whose annual Mind Your Head campaign aims to raise awareness of this growing issue within farming; and calls on the Government to reverse the changes to APR, increase the farming budget by £1 billion a year and improve access to mental health services in rural areas by supporting the continued roll-out of mental health hubs.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

17 

Session

2026-27

Other sponsors

Andrew George

Ian Roome

Helen Morgan

Danny Chambers

Wendy Chamberlain

Subjects

Farmers Mental health

Link

View this Early day motion on edm.parliament.uk