A new report confirms a clear link between bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreaks and increasing stress levels within farm families across Northern Ireland.
And the scale of this challenge continues to increase as the impact of the disease continues to heighten.
Almost 60% of families surveyed for the report indicated that they had given serious thought to switching away from livestock production or moving away from agriculture entirely, such was the toll that bTB had taken on their mental health.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) deputy president Glenn Cuddy said that everything must be done to support those farm families dealing with stress-related problems at the present time.
He went on to highlight the invaluable work already undertaken by the organisation, Rural Support, in this regard, adding:
“I would heartily encourage everyone to support the work of the charity in any way that they can.”
The report, compiled by the Andersons Centre, makes it clear that the mental health impacts are significant and interact with the economic pressures brought on in the aftermath of a bTB breakdown.
Mental health burden
Evidence from both a farmer survey and stakeholder interviews confirms that bTB imposes a substantial mental health burden on farm families.
Stress and anxiety are particularly acute during testing and breakdown periods, the findings show.
But the wider effects extend beyond these periods. Prolonged uncertainty, repeated disruption and perceived lack of control undermine confidence within farm families.
These challenges also put strain on family relationships and reduce the capacity of farmers to plan ahead.
These impacts interact with financial pressures to weaken business-making and resilience: particularly in dairying.
The report concludes that bTB represents a major and growing constraint on the performance, profitability and sustainability of agriculture in Northern Ireland.
Moreover, the indirect costs borne by farmers are substantial, persistent, and insufficiently reflected in current policy frameworks.
Where disease incidence increases or breakdowns persist, these costs intensify and become more deeply embedded within farming systems.
All of this reinforces the scale and urgency of the challenge facing the sector.
Recommendations
The report’s recommendations reflect the growing burden that bTB represents for Northern Ireland’s livestock sectors.
Significantly, many of these matters sit outside existing policy, support and compensation frameworks.
Addressing this challenge will require a shift away from viewing bTB primarily as a narrow animal health issue towards recognising it as a constraint on farm performance, environmental efficiency, and resilience, the report said.