26 January 2025

Farmers need to realise health is their most important resource

Many farmers often overlook the importance of their own health and wellbeing, making it a secondary priority to the needs of their farming enterprises.

However as Health and Safety Specialist at Teagasc, John McNamara explained when appearing on the HSE Talking Health and Wellbeing Podcast, health and safety is crucially important for social sustainability, adding: “We want farmers to have good health and wellbeing for their own sake, but also for the sustainability of farming.”

To a large extent, farmers tend to work on their own, effectively making them the “health and safety manager for their own business”, but Dr. McNamara explained: “Farmers need to realise that health is there most important resource.”

Through the appearance on the podcast and joined by Finola Colgan, Mental Health Ireland, the various supports available to farmers in this regard were explored. These include key programmes like Farm Connect and On Feirm Ground, which provide resources and training to improve farmers’ mental health and overall wellbeing.

Continuing, Dr. McNamara explained: “Poor health is like an accident in slow motion, it happens over time”, before encouraging farmers to seek a medical check-up annually. Not only does this help identify and treat any issues that may arise at an early stage, but it opens the door for communication and ensures trust between farmers and health professions if the need for medical care arises as a result of mental health issues.

Dr. McNamara added: “We are trying to encourage all farmers to adopt health practices and improve their wellbeing approach to farming.”

Finola Colgan added: “At the end of the day, if a farmer is not well, either mentally or physically, the farm enterprise is impacted, the family is impacted, and income is derailed.”

Echoing these comments, before outlining some of the supports available through the Teagasc website, Dr. McNamara said: “Mental health and health doesn’t sit on its own and it relates to what farmers do on their farms.

“If you are farming too long of hours, working too hard or if you are doing too much physical work, that affects your health. The way you farm is important for your health and that is why we promote positive strategies to improve health and wellbeing,” he added.

For more information, the full podcast is available to listen to below: