Recommendation 25

HM Government · verbatim extract Acknowledged

The government recognises that uncertainty around future policy can be a source of stress for farmers and landowners and is committed to reducing this. In leading work with the farming sector, Defra understands the importance of working collaboratively to co-design farming reforms. Co-design is the right approach to making sure that farming reforms work for the sector through a process of testing, trialling, and improving policies and we are committed to providing as much certainty as practicable throughout this process. The Farming Resilience Fund provides free business support to farmers in England to help them adapt to the Agricultural Transition Plan. The current round runs until March 2025. The type of expert business support available is expected to have a positive indirect impact on farmer wellbeing, and providers are also asked to operate signposting services to professional mental health and wellbeing support where appropriate. Some delivery providers are offering this support from in-house experts and others are signposting support available from external services. Defra has also worked with the Yellow Wellies charity, to provide advice and information on how to identify potential mental health issues and provide tools for addressing them. The government recognises that training employees in mental health first aid can have a role to play as part of a holistic approach to raising awareness of, preventing, and tackling potential mental health issues in the workplace. It can also support employees in ‘frontline’ roles to provide support and signposting to members of the public, where appropriate. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is currently rolling out a refreshed customer excellence training programme which has a module on identifying and dealing with anxiety. All RPA field officers are provided with information so that they can refer farmers to appropriate professional support, such as Farming Helpline run by the Farming Community Network. Additionally, The Animal and Plant Health Agency provides Health and Safety Guidance to managers and employees. This includes detailed guidance for managers and employees who might be subject to or involved with a person making a threat of (or actual) self-harm or suicide.