“Every day was becoming a huge burden”

Damian farms 64 acres on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, keeping sheep, pigs and goats and providing good quality local meat – with ambitions to expand his acreage in the next 12 months.

1. How did your farming journey begin?

I have always been interested in the outdoor life. It’s been a dream to start farming, despite my age and lack of knowledge or experience. So in May 2021 I bought my first sheep to graze off some land that I rented for my dog training business. I then was very fortunate to find a farm to rent and started farming full time in August 2021.

2. Having joined the industry at a particularly difficult time, how did this impact your mental wellbeing?

When I started farming my plan was to run my successful dog training alongside, to help fund the build and growth of the farm, but who could have predicted how the world was to unfold. Suddenly the whole world was affected by the financial crisis and the war in Ukraine. These events impacted so much on the running costs of my farm, but also on my training business, which overnight became a luxury.

In the blink of an eye my farming dream was looking an impossibility. Financially I was questioning the viability of my farm. On top of this I was managing personal problems and the sudden loss of my father. Every day was becoming a huge burden. Animal feed was increasing, running cost spiralling. Whilst the farming world through social media is a great help for mental help and communicating, when I closed the door at night it’s only me and my dogs. Mental health is a huge problem in farming and it was a video that I watched from the Mind Your Head campaign (Yellow Wellies) that made me realise I’m not alone. I was surprised to see that according to research 94% of farmers suffer with mental health problems.

Raising awareness of challenges facing UK farming is so important, we need to reach out and look after each other. That’s why I contacted the Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) to ask if I could support them. Through a support network of a few friends, I was helped to stay positive, but many are not as lucky. Many times, we don’t ask for help or will not admit we are suffering. I know as I often answer with the stereotypical answer “yes I’m ok”.

3. What do you feel are the biggest challenges to farmers’ mental wellbeing at the moment

Challenges in farming at present cover many areas. I’ve already mentioned the financial challenges, but certainly as a new first-generation farmer with no experience I think a huge challenge I have experienced is the amount of complicated hurdles that I have had to jump to apply for farming grants and BPS. Last year despite hours of talks with Defra to apply for my BPS it was rejected on a small technicality. As farmers we should be supported more by organisations and procedures should be made simpler. More advice and help are needed to support UK farmers through a very troubling and worrying time. If we don’t the next generation of young farmers won’t want to continue with the farms.

4. What would you like to see change in the coming years?

I would like to see more emphasis on discussions through events and social media. The Mind Your Head (www.yellowwellies.org) campaign that runs from 13-17th February is a great platform to make people aware of the need to help each other. Removing the stigma around poor mental health will help open doors for more people to talk. I also think we need to look at the over 40s as many older generation farmers suffer with the huge burden of families, finances and the question of who will continue the farm.

5. What advice would you give to a farmer struggling with their mental health?

I would advise anyone to reach out, don’t be afraid to admit you are feeling down. I have certainly learnt that the farming community is one that wants to support. Ask for help, most importantly reach out to fellow farmers and support each other. We can only help each other if we work together.