A new mental health service designed to support vulnerable farmers in Gwynedd has launched, with hopes for a Wales-wide roll out soon after.
The new Ffrind Fferm/Farm Friend project involves farmers checking in with their neighbours with one quick call, morning and night.
It has been launched by the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) and award-winning farmers' charity Tir Dewi.
By establishing a phone network involving farms within a county area, it aims to deliver a service where one farmer calls their neighbour to check in on them in the morning and then that neighbour calls their neighbour, and so on.
The service will then be repeated in reverse in the evening with an opportunity to chat about the days’ events and discuss concerns with peers, rather than someone who may be perceived as not understanding the issues farmers are faced with.
The project will be trialled initially in Gwynedd, with hopes it will be rolled out to the other counties across Wales soon after.
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “This project takes into account my concerns about having a farm-based solution which doesn’t involve leaving the farm, and means we will have someone who ‘gets’ what we’re talking about.
"We are very excited about working in partnership with Tir Dewi to provide this much-needed service to farmers who are struggling on a daily basis but feel they have nowhere to turn.”
Llinos Owen, fundraising manager for Tir Dewi added: “Despite this exciting new initiative still being very much in its infancy, I have already had several positive responses from farmers both male and female who would welcome this and who are keen to take part.”
FUW and Tir Dewi hope to launch the project at the RWAS 2022 Winter Fair following the September trial period.
