A farming charity has released new figures which shows a continued rise in working farmers across the UK seeking financial help.
During January to May this year, welfare charity the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) received 437 new enquiries for help.
Of those enquiries, 67 percent came from working farmers. Around 60 percent of those who sought help in May alone cited illness, injury or disability as a cause.
Trish Pickford, head of welfare, explained how the charity is continuing to receive a high number of applications from working people.
“Self-employment and the nature of farming in particular means that when ill-health or accident strikes it is often very difficult to cope, both practically and financially,” she said.
Last year, RABI paid out more than £1.4m in regular grants last year to financially support retired, elderly, and disabled farmers.
To spread the word about the help farming families can receive, it is involved with a number of campaigns, such as Carers Week earlier this month.
The campaign focussed on the needs of carers and what help is available for them.
And from July 15-19, RABI will be supporting Farm Safety Week, a national campaign that highlights the importance of practising safe procedures while working on a farm.
Ms Pickford added: “People are hearing about us from a wide range of sources, which shows that the effort we’ve put into raising awareness is proving successful.
“Around a quarter the people who contacted us last month heard about us from friends and relatives. It goes to show that word of mouth is still extremely important, even in this digital age.”
If you know someone who is struggling financially, please give them RABI's freephone helpline number: 0808 281 9490. The people who got in touch could only do so because someone let them know help was available.
