'I've never seen so many farmers all struggling at once' says agricultural chaplain
The warning comes as farmers are sending messages directly to politicians via a so-called 'trailer of truth'
Last updated 10th Sep 2025
The South West's 'agricultural chaplain' has exclusively told us he believes more farmers are now struggling with their mental health than ever before.
Andy Jerrard, who is also a rural support worker, blames it on falling profits and changes to inheritance tax - meaning farmers might not be able to pass their business to their children.
He says in places like Devon the impacts are clear to see, adding: "You've only got to look around places like this to see where there used to be machinery dealers and feed merchants, general supplies and vets - they've all contracted over the past generation or so.
"There was already lots of anxiety in agriculture because the economics of agriculture haven't been very good for the past 30 years.
"The isolation has increased for lots of reasons, but there are now less people working on farms.
"I would say there aren't any of what I would call commercially viable farms that are not affected by this (inheritance tax change). In most cases 100 acres is not viable anymore so you can pretty much say across the piece most farmers are at risk."
Farmers in Devon and Somerset have been writing messages on a so-called 'trailer of truth' which is being taken to the main party conferences
North Devon-based farmer Paula Kellaway read out one of the messages, which says: "We as farmers provide the best food, the best prices, abide by regulations and yet we still feel uncertain about the future"
She believes the trailer will be impactful, adding: "It does send the message that we are farmers and we do work hard - no one works harder than a farmer as its a 24 hour job."
Richard White is a north Devon beef and sheep farmer and is behind the local 'trailer of truth' which recently visited the Blackmoor Gate market on the edge of Exmoor.
He said: "There's a lot of farm sales coming up and people are restructuring their business.
People aren’t as positive now and they are not investing in their business
"The industry is pretty downbeat and people are questioning what to do next."
In response, Defra says it's investing in the sector. A Government spokesperson said: “Our commitment to farming and food security is steadfast. We’ve allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and have appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to recommend new reforms to boost farmers’ profits.
“Most estates claiming Agricultural and Business Property Reliefs will be unaffected by the changes. The latest data shows that 40% of Agricultural Property Relief - worth £219m - was directed to just 117 estates. The money raised will go towards public services we all rely on every day instead.”
Today NFU Mutual Wells Agency is organising an event celebrating all things farming in support of National Farmers Union (NFU) Back British Farming Day in the Lidl supermarket car park in Wells from 10am to 5pm,
The campaign Back British Farming Day, first launched by the NFU in 2016, is an annual event celebrating the food and farming sector which offers a chance for the public to show support for farmers and growers across the UK.
Now in its tenth year, Back British Farming Day continues to highlight the importance of agriculture to communities and the economy.