A leading farming welfare charity is expanding its support to the sector after a survey revealed that nearly half the UK’s farmers are experiencing some form of anxiety.

Norfolk and Suffolk farmers heard about the role of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) during a meeting in Halesworth, jointly hosted by the National Farmers' Union and accountancy firm Lovewell Blake.

Lucy Bellefontaine, RABI's regional manager for the east, outlined how the charity offers confidential support, guidance and financial help to people working in agriculture, as well as those no longer able to work due to ill health, accident or age.

She highlighted a long list of challenges which affect the mental and physical wellbeing of farmers, ranging from isolation, financial worries and labour shortages to unpredictable weather, long hours, and crop and animal diseases.

She said the charity distributed £3.2m of grants to individuals and families in the first 10 months of 2022 - more than double the amount given in the last full year before the Covid pandemic.

RABI is aiming to quadruple the financial support it is able to provide by 2024.

But she also emphasised that financial help was only part of the solution, with practical support and training for mental wellbeing also an important part of what the charity does.

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The extent of the challenges facing the industry was highlighted by the recent "Big Farming Survey", carried out for RABI by Exeter University among more than 15,000 farmers.

The results showed that 47pc of farmers feel some level of anxiety (rising to 58pc among women), and 36pc are "probably or possibly depressed".

Ryan Lincoln, agricultural partner at Lovewell Blake, who chaired the meeting, said: "Often our farmers’ evenings focus on technical innovations and policy matters, but it was both important and useful to spend some time looking at some of the welfare issues facing people working in the sector – and to hear what help and support is available."