According to the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN), farmers are increasingly accessing health hubs located at livestock markets and agricultural events.
Providers are also reporting a marked rise in demand for mental health support.
With hubs operating within familiar agricultural settings, they “improve access to care and reduce some of the practical and cultural barriers that can prevent farmers from seeking help“, LRSN said.
Market-based services offer routine health checks and confidential support on sale days and at key events, helping to identify concerns earlier and encourage open conversations around wellbeing.
At Melton Mowbray Market in Leicestershire, a health hub supported by the LRSN operates every two weeks.
Funded through a combination of market support, council landlords and charitable fundraising the hub offers blood pressure checks, blood sugar and cholesterol testing and ECGs in a familiar, non-clinical environment.
Amy Thomas, head of charity at LRSN, says the demand for mental health support among farmers has risen sharply.
She said: “Calls relating to farmers’ mental health have risen by 249% over the past six years.
“In the last year alone, 11 people were identified as being at risk of suicide, and 33 people were affected by the suicide of someone close within the farming community.”
She also believes the market setting is crucial. saying its market health hubs are vital in identifying mental health issues.
“Farmers are often far more comfortable coming in for a physical check-up, and those routine checks frequently open the door to conversations about mental wellbeing,” Thomas said.
Hugh Brown, CEO of Melton Mowbray Market agreed with Thomas, saying these already important physical checks become conversation starters.
Brown said: “While there, farmers also start talking about stress, exhaustion, financial worries and family pressures.
“It gives people the chance to speak to someone friendly and unearth issues that might otherwise stay hidden.”
Mobile health hub
In Wales, the DPJ Foundation is taking a different approach, with the charity operating a mobile health hub.
The converted lorry travels directly to livestock marts, agricultural shows and Young Farmers events.
Since December 2023, one lorry has been on the road across South and West Wales, with a new second lorry launched February this year covering North Wales.
In the past year alone, the service saw 1,425 farmers, with 167 mental health conversations recorded in 2025, a figure that continues to rise.
Charity manager Kate Miles said: “What happens in the room is confidential.
“Farmers can access support without anyone knowing – and that’s absolutely crucial in farming.”
Embedded hubs in the mart
Similar models are proving effective in other parts of England. At Frome Livestock Market in Somerset, the Frome Market Health Hub operates every Wednesday on its main sale day.
The hub is a partnership with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, with NHS nurses and mental health practitioners attending every other week.
The charity also funds weekly podiatry and physiotherapy clinics.
Trustee Diana Bourne said: “Market-based clinics allow us to flag up issues early, from blood sugar and cholesterol to skin concerns and prostate health. Sometimes, a reassuring word is the most helpful thing.”
Further north, Field Nurse, a charity operating across the north of England, provides health support at seven regional marts each week.
Trustee Kathryn Phillips said: “We’ve more than doubled the number of consultations at auctions in the past year, and the number of people seen at agricultural shows has also more than doubled.”
Field Nurse is funded through farmer donations and grant funding and maintaining.
Phillips explained that its nurses are registered professionals, many with agricultural backgrounds and they attend the same auctions regularly, building relationships over time.
The Livestock Auctioneers Association is a strong advocate for these hubs.
Development officer, Zanna Dennis said: “Livestock markets are the heart of our farming communities, and health hubs show how markets support farmers far beyond the point of sale, playing a vital role in supporting farmers.”
According to LRSN, at all these services, the same themes are emerging: a rising demand, increasing mental health conversations, and the vital importance of trust, confidentiality and accessibility.
