Straws, Soil, and Strain: Tackling the Mental Health Crisis in UK Farming

Farming has always been part of Britain’s identity, from the rolling hills of the Cotswolds to the windswept fields of Yorkshire. Yet beneath the romantic image of green fields and rural rhythms lies a crisis that too often goes unseen. Across the UK, farmers are facing an epidemic of poor mental health, driven by financial instability, isolation, and relentless pressure. It is a crisis that threatens not only those who till the soil, but the resilience of the nation’s food supply itself.

Recent surveys have laid bare the scale of the problem. A 2025 motion in Parliament confirmed that 95 percent of farmers under 40 consider poor mental health one of the industry’s most significant hidden problems. Official statistics recorded more than one hundred suicides among agricultural workers in England and Wales in a single year, and studies consistently show that farmers experience higher levels of psychological distress than the general population. These are not abstract numbers. They are fathers, daughters, friends, and neighbours — people who carry the weight of feeding the country while struggling to keep their own heads above water.

The reasons are complex but painfully clear. Farm incomes fluctuate wildly with market swings, input costs, and unpredictable weather. Brexit has reshaped subsidies, increasing bureaucracy and uncertainty. Many farms carry debt well into six figures, with the future of entire families hanging in the balance. Add to this the loneliness of rural life, the physical toll of long hours and heavy labour, and the trauma of sudden disasters like floods or disease outbreaks, and the strain becomes crushing.

For many outside the industry, it was Jeremy Clarkson’s hit series Clarkson’s Farm that first pulled back the curtain. What began as an experiment in farming turned into a raw portrayal of financial uncertainty, endless paperwork, and emotional exhaustion. Clarkson’s Hawkstone brewery has gone further, launching campaigns to raise awareness of mental health challenges in rural communities. By putting farming stress on primetime television and on supermarket shelves, Clarkson helped spark a national conversation that farming charities have been pushing for years.

Yet awareness is only the first step. Farmers need support that is consistent, practical, and rooted in their communities. Organisations such as the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) and the Farming Community Network (FCN) offer lifelines, but the demand far outstrips the resources available. Stigma remains a barrier, with many farmers unwilling or unable to ask for help until it is too late. What is needed are solutions that connect everyday people and everyday places to the cause — ways to build support into the fabric of rural life.

That is where initiatives like OG Straws for Farmers’ Mental Health come in. At Naturally OG Straws, we believe even the simplest choices — like the straw in your drink — can carry meaning. Our straws are made by farmers we support, they are carbon-negative, and eco-friendly. But more than that, for every case of 500 straws sold to a pub, café, or restaurant, £5 goes directly to farmer support and mental health programs here in the UK.

It means that every pint poured, every cocktail mixed, and every straw handed across a café counter is also an investment in the well-being of the farmers who feed us. The same rye grass that once built fairways, skating rinks, and even the natural cocktail straws of the 19th century is now being used to strengthen farming communities. It is a small act repeated thousands of times each night across Britain’s pubs and restaurants — and those small acts add up.

Farming will always be demanding. It will always carry uncertainty. But it should never come at the cost of farmers’ mental health. With awareness rising, thanks to both grassroots charities and high-profile advocates like Clarkson, and with programs that connect rural resilience to urban life, we have a chance to change the story.

The plight of the UK farmer is not someone else’s problem. It is all of ours. By turning simple habits into acts of solidarity, we can help ensure that the people who feed us are fed with the support, respect, and care they deserve. One straw, one sip, one pub at a time.

Gerald Shaffer

Shaffer Farms : Naturally Brand OG Rye Straws. gerald@shafferfoods.com