It has long been recognised in farming circles that a bovine TB breakdown has multiple consequences, such as loss of stock, problems with cash flow, costs of housing and feeding additional stock, loss of business control and uncertainty over the future. All of these inevitably impact on the emotional well-being of farming families.
However, the true impact is likely to have been underestimated. Rebecca John, a third generation farmer from Pembrokeshire, is therefore asking a pertinent question - how does a TB breakdown on a farm affect our mental health?
Familiar with the ups and downs of agriculture and livestock farming in Pembrokeshire, Rebecca is no stranger to seeing vets come and go for TB testing on the family holding Rinaston, near Haverfordwest, where they farm beef, sheep and dairy.
“We all understand to a degree that farmers who are trying to run their business under a bovine TB breakdown are at breaking point. Given that mental health is inextricably linked to farm business sustainability and solvency, we must fully understand the ground-level grass roots consequences of this disease.
The FUW has reacted to the release of the Welsh Government’s Agriculture (Wales) White Paper saying the paper does little to reduce concerns regarding the impacts for families and communities of proposed sweeping changes to agricultural support.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales is urging farmers and members of the public to use an 
The Farmers’ Union of Wales is hosting a special webinar to shed light on what technical and practical changes are required for farming businesses in Wales from 1 January 2021 onwards.