The confronting figures were outlined in research described as the most in-depth of its kind examining the declining mental health of agricultural workers.
More than 1300 Australian farmers were interviewed for the wellbeing report.
The research was commissioned by the National Farmers’ Federation and dairy group Norco, with input from the Black Dog Institute, and released on March 29.
Farmers were asked a series of questions about their mental health and, unsurprisingly, almost half said the weather and natural disasters were the biggest trigger.
It’s the first national research to be carried out among farmers since the 2022 floods.
The top four factors impacting farmer mental health of the 195 Victorians surveyed were weather or natural disasters (33 per cent), inflation and cost pressures (31 per cent), COVID-19 (26 per cent) and financial stress (26 per cent).
Victoria was the only state where the impact of COVID-19 was among the top contributing factors to farmer mental health.
Almost all of the 582 NSW farmers surveyed had their farming operation significantly impacted by natural disasters in the past five years, with an average cost of $1.2 million per farm.
When asked what was most emotionally taxing about the experience, three in five cited the financial loss, followed by the impact on animals and loss of stock (45 per cent), and the physical rebuild and recovery process (40 per cent).
Local networks an advantage
Retired rural outreach worker Ivan Lister was not surprised by the factors affecting farmer mental health and said local people with good local networks were needed to engage with stressed farmers “where they are”.
During his 20-plus years as an outreach worker he found the most effective approach to addressing farmers’ concerns was dropping by their farms, catching up at sales, over a coffee, at sporting events and at other community gatherings.
Thanks to generous support from two equine industry families, Mr Lister is currently in contact with workers in the sector around the Nagambie area affected during last year’s floods.
“There’s a lot of stress there, some of them were very badly affected,” he said.
Mr Lister is passionate about the need for investment by the federal and state governments for locally based support.
“There needs to be a concerted effort for ongoing support for rural communities — not just when something happens.
“It’s often the case that all these people appear (during a disaster) and have a lot to say and then they are gone again.
“How people cope with disasters depends a lot on how they were travelling before an event — if they were struggling beforehand they’ll be more vulnerable in a crisis.
“If there is someone they see around and know, they’re more likely to reach out early.”
If this article raises concerns, contact Lifeline on 131 114 or beyondblue on 1300 224 636.
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