Coronavirus: Plea to farmers to share their fears with specialist hotline amid pandemic lockdown

That was the message from the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) yesterday, as it encouraged all its members to be vigilant about their own mental health as they isolate themselves from friends and family.

The union said that the lockdown is a source of “major worry” for members,

It said in a statement: “Many NI farmers already live and work in isolated environments and depend on daily interactions with family, friends and members of their local community.

“The farming industry is fully supportive of the new COVID-19 measures which have been implemented to safeguard everyone in NI, however they’re concerned about how it will impact their wellbeing with all social interaction being restricted.”

Its rural affairs chairwoman Jennifer Hawkes added that “many in the farming community feel vulnerable or overwhelmed when reading or listening to the news about COVID-19”.

She said: “We’re enduring the biggest medical crisis of our generation, experiencing a period of huge uncertainty and it can be frightening with new heighten measures being put in place to protect the country.

“However, it is important that we keep a realistic perspective of the situation based on the facts. There is a lot of alarming ‘fake news’ being generated online which is why we should only use trustworthy and reliable news sources for COVID-19 updates.

“It is vital that farmers and rural dwellers look after their mental health which is just as important as their physical health...

“If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, the best thing to do is to talk to someone. Don’t keep it to yourself as a problem shared is a problem halved.”

She encouraged farming families to contact confidential helpline Rural Support on 08001381678 for support or advice during the pandemic.