Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental health and resilience are ongoing concerns for the Dairy industry.
Industry feedback has told us that the current price of milk is relatively high, which is balancing out increasing farm costs and rising interest rates. There is industry concern that financial pressures will be felt across the industry more in the 2023-24 season, causing increased stress for farmers. The industry view additional government regulation as creating further costs to be borne by individual farmers.
Many farmers continue to suffer from mental health challenges, with both burnout and suicide rates being ongoing concerns for the industry. However, there are some industry-led initiatives which seek to support farmers through these challenges, such as GoodYarn and Rural Support Trust.