Farmers living on the edge

A team from AgResearch, led by Dr Neels Botha, reported "shocking" levels of stress after interviews with 60 North Island farmers. "We fear there could be quite a bit of depression in the farming community in the coming years," said Botha. The 2007 study involved farmers in the Manawatu, Taupo and Rotorua areas, who were all facing new policies from regional authorities reports The NZ Herald. "In our conversations it became clear that these people are concerned and stressed about potential regulation and changes in policy," Botha said. Farmers worried for their livelihood experienced shock, denial, anger and fear, he said, which could lead to drinking, increasing isolation and aggression. Unchecked, it could also lead to depression and, in a worst-case scenario, suicide. AgResearch is applying for funding for another study on how farmers deal with stressful events, and ways of helping them cope. Neil Bateup, a dairy farmer at Ohinewai, North Waikato, for 38 years, said the fear of being exposed as a polluter was an added pressure. "There's been a raft of bad press around a few individuals who haven't played the game right, but I think the majority of farmers try to do their best." He said farmers were used to dealing with events beyond their control, but too many stressful events at once could push people over the edge.