FARMERS who have been struggling with the isolation of lockdown are being encouraged to reach out to each other for their own mental health.

Dr John Locke, chairman of the Stewartry branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland, knows how difficult it has been for his colleagues over the past year coping with a lack of social contact.

Locke, 62, is a father of three grown-up children and tends his mixed farm of 120 beef cows and 240 sheep, with his wife Jan and son Ian, 32, while also serving a general practice.

He knows how important the greater farming community is to farmers and has seen how the social restrictions and reduced access to their neighbours has affected farmers.

He said: “The connection thing is what people are missing. Farming is more of a community because people have been brought up with the same neighbours all their lives and obviously farmers don’t move around so much.

“They’ve known each other from school and maybe gone off to college but come back to farms, so there are a lot of very close ties.

“Those people can’t meet up at the moment, and haven’t done for nine months, apart from a wee interlude in the summer.

“All the shows and events that are part of a farming social calendar have all been cancelled and I would say it will be the same this year so that will be two years without them. Markets too are a big social event for farmers. Half of the people who would normally be there wouldn’t be there to buy stock but to meet some of their farming neighbours.’’ Locke is urging his fellow farmers, some of whom have set up Whatsapp groups, Zoom meetings and Facebook pages, to stay in touch and to keep up their connections.

He added: “We’re encouraging people to pick up the phone and speak to a neighbour, to actually be a bit more active, whereas before you might have waited until you actually bumped into them.

“And if you haven’t seen them for a few weeks, just phone them and have a wee chat about things.’’ Locke recognises that this may not come easily to farmers who traditionally have been expected to keep any troubles or feelings to themselves.

He said: “It is getting better. There’s been quite a bit from the Farmers’ Union to encourage farmers to speak up when they’re feeling stressed.

“And the first port of call is probably speaking to your neighbour and then you realise that he’s probably having a worse time than you and you’ll feel better and you’ll also have helped him.’’ Locke pinpointed that there was an anxiety too among farmers about contracting the virus and who would then look after the farm.

He explained: “On our farm there are only three of us and I’m not here during the day. On a family farm if one person becomes unwell and the rest of the family have to isolate then suddenly you’re into all sorts of issues.”