FARMERS DRIVEN TO THE BRINK OF DESPAIR

Leap in calls to mental health helpline after Labour's inheritance tax bombshell

- Lotti O'Brien

FARMERS who have been pushed to the brink due to Labour's inheritance tax bombshell are calling a charity that works to avoid suicides in record numbers.

The Farm Safety Foundation saw a year-on-year 55% leap in demand for counselling services and a 13% increase in calls to its crisis support line last year.

The numbers surged after Labour unveiled plans to introduce inheritance tax on farms in October's Budget.

Daniel Boomer, 22, a beef farmer from Northern Ireland, described the pressures that agricultural workers face in the wake of the tax move.

He said: "It's really affected people's mental health because it's constant. It's that weight on your chest every day." He added that farmers feel misrepresented by critics who portray them as "rich landlords" with "millions of pounds." Mr Boomer insisted that image was far from reality. In a heartbreaking admission he said: "It's a pressure cooker. Everything's just boiling and busting and something will break at some point. I've been very close to taking my own life.

"I knew I had to speak to someone about it because it was really hurting me every day. And every day it gets heavier and heavier." He now serves as an ambassador for the Farm Safety Foundation, a charity dedicated to addressing rural mental health struggles that can often go unseen.

Foundation manager Stephanie Berkeley is calling on ministers to provide better services to farmers in distress. She said: "We need to ease the pressure on farming charities, who are relied upon to support those when they get into crisis.