Suzanne Campbell

giving them the skills and the confidence to engage with and support farmers who may be in distress and don't know how to ask for help.

Our reporter, Della Kilroy, this week visited a sheep farmer and mental health advocate in Wexford.

You've spoken about mental health struggles you've had in the past.

Tell me about that time in your life.

Why were you reluctant to talk to your family or someone you knew or a professional?

Inside the farmhouse, we meet Joanne Nevin, manager with the Donkey Sanctuary Ireland.

So we have 90 staff based in Ireland, a majority of whom are located in Cork.

We have three farms in Cork in Mallow and a lot of our staff would be connected to the farming community or farming at home themselves.

So that's how we got in touch with On Farm Ground because the programme really appealed to our demographic of employees.

So it's not about turning people into counsellors, rather it's teaching them the tools to signpost others that might be in need of mental health support.

What did you learn?

Yeah, I really learned how to understand the identity of a farmer, from their persona to recognising, you know, when you walk onto a farm, just to kind of keep your eye open and look at your surroundings.

Is there a sign of disrepair?

Are the animals perhaps not being fed properly or overweight perhaps?

You know, so that's what I learned.

It's not just about the person themselves, but the environment that they're living in and how to recognise when things mightn't be just right.

Actually, one thing I learned which stood out in particular was body language.

So we learned about this idea of standing side by side with the farmer as opposed to directly head on or maybe standing at the gate looking out towards the field side by side and they might be a little bit more likely to open up then because it's less intimidating, it's more what they're used to and it might just encourage that little bit of extra conversation if you ask the right questions at the right time.

That was something that stood out for me.

What advice would you then have to those working with someone who might be struggling?