HALF OF THE FARMERS ARE SUFFERING INCREASED LEVEL OF MENTAL ILL-HEALTH

Mental health crisis for the Australian farmers Photo: RuralAid/Facebook

BY ASAD KHAN

Australia’s rural charity is assisting farmers battling increased levels of mental ill-health in recent months.

Rural Aid provides critical support to the farmers affected by natural disasters through financial wellbeing and fodder assistance.

In a Rural Aid study, it was found one in two farmers said they felt their mental health decline in the past year.

Rural Aid Chief Executive Officer, John Warlters, said the primary producers are feeling anxious and overworked.

Mr Warlters said farmers especially in WA have had a tough year coping

He said changes in livelihood circumstances such as the recent live sheep export ban and changes in regulation also impact farmer’s mental health.

“I think they have to add to it because it adds another level of Stress and Anxiety that those people who are impacted by those changes of policy and regulation have to then manage,” he said

“We recognize that if we work with others, then we can we can achieve a whole lot more and I guess an example of that is, the WA government recognized that the really important role that Rural Aid is playing and thinking about the dry and the drought response,

“So Rural Aid was the beneficiary of 75,000 dollars from the WA government as part of that 8.6 billion dollar package that it recently announced,

“ And we're using those funds to provide some mental health and wellbeing support, but we're also doing it to help get stock feed to people who need it for their lifestyle,” he said.

Listen to Ngaarda Media’s lead journalist Asad Khan speak with Rural Aid CEO John Warlters: