EDM 774: Mental health of women in farming

That this House recognises the urgent need to address the mental health crisis affecting women in British agriculture; acknowledges research by the University of Exeter and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) which highlights financial pressures, long working hours, social isolation, and gender inequalities as contributing factors to poor mental health among women in farming; notes with concern that 23% of women farmers suffer from severe anxiety, with 34.6% experiencing mild anxiety, affecting over half (58%) of women in farming; expresses alarm that loneliness is a leading factor, with 64.5% of women in farming who are often or always lonely experiencing anxiety; understands that additional concerns such as childcare responsibilities, non-farming employment, rural crime, and domestic violence further exacerbate these challenges; notes the Government’s proposed cut to Agricultural Property Relief (APR), which risks financial devastation for small family farms, has only heightened the crisis present; regrets that women’s mental health needs in farming have been historically overlooked; commends the University of Exeter and the Farming Community Network for their contemporary Understanding health and wellbeing among farm women: a life-course approach study and the Farm Safety Foundation for their Mind Your Head mental health awareness campaign during 10-14 February 2025; and calls on the Government to improve access for women to mental health services in rural areas by supporting the continued roll-out of mental health hubs, reverse the changes to APR, and increase the farming budget by £1 billion annually to help provide financial support for women in farming.