This is a text-only version of an article first published on Thursday, 12 February 2015. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
CHURCHES are being called on to pray for and support farmers in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as pressure mounts on local food producers.
NFU As the Door went to press the Farming Community Network (FCN) issued a press release highlighting the support available for depressed farmers after it was revealed that farmers are more likely to die by suicide than almost any other occupational group.
In 2013, 43 farmers in the UK took their own lives, a figure that has been increasing since 2009. The news came just weeks after the Arthur Rank Centre (ARC) urged Christians to pray and support dairy farmers who are facing lower prices from retailers for their milk while their production costs have risen by 36 per cent since 2007.
This highlights just one area where farmers have been hit hard. The Revd Canon Glyn Evans, Diocesan Rural Officer and FCN's Regional Director for the central counties, explains that each of us can do more to help: "It is vital that we encourage anyone with thoughts of suicide to talk to us.
There must be no stigma about discussing mental health whether at home or in the workplace. "Suicide preventionThe Farming Community Network has some 350 volunteers throughout England and Wales and is making renewed efforts to increase specific training in suicide prevention while working with many other organisations and charities to point out that there are always opportunities to talk to someone when things are looking bleak. The dairy farmers' predicament hit the headlines in January, when ARC issued its press release.
"The number of dairy farmers has halved over little more than a decade," said ARC CEO Jerry Marshall.
"Prices are at their lowest since 2007 while costs have risen 36 per cent. "Knock-on effectGlyn said: "I was talking to one farmer who had just been told by another that he won't be able to buy feed for his cows from him this year, so it's having a knock-on effect on other areas of farming. " Glyn encouraged church goers to pray for farmers, including milk producers and pointed to information on the NFU website, urging consumers to vote with their wallets and only buy milk from retailers who are paying a fair price for the product.
The NFU has named those as Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury's, Co-op and Tesco. "I mostly buy milk supplied by a local farmer but I did write to the producers of other brands of milk sold in my local village shop to ask them what price they were paying their farmers" said Glyn, I'm not prepared to buy milk that doesn't give a fair price to the producer. "A spokesman for Sainsbury's said: "Our retail price is not related to the price we pay our farmers.
Our milk prices are competitive for our customers, while also paying our dedicated dairy farmers a fair price that protects them against volatile markets. "Following a majority vote, our Dairy Group farmers benefit from a cost of production model - this sets a price that directly reflects their costs on the farm, building in a profit, as well as rewarding outstanding animal welfare and environmental standards.
This price is updated every three months to ensure a fair deal for the farmers involved. "Roy Lambourne is the Church Warden at St Mary the Virgin, Marsh Gibbon, a member of Glyn's rural team and a former farmer turned agricultural consultant.
Roy ensures that agricultural issues are high profile in the churches in his benefice.
"I try as hard as I can to keep farming in the public eye. "There are so few agricultural workers left - we make up about one per cent of the population and the agricultural service industries account for more than those directly involved, which is surprising when it is the UK's main land-use industry for obvious reasons. "The recent reports on dairy farmers have brought the issues facing farmers to the fore.
They can be working 15 to 18 hours per day, then selling produce at less than the cost of production.
There are a lot of farmers earning less than the amount the Government say is the minimum wage. "Roy urged churches, including those in urban areas, to keep the profile of farming high, celebrating the farm-related Harvest Festival and Lamas, and even inviting people involved in agriculture to speak at services. A Prayer from the Arthur Rank CentreLoving God we give you thanks for all the food that is produced for us by farmers every day. We thank you especially for milk, a vital food, which we don't always fully appreciate. We pray for dairy farmers and the particular pressures that they face at this present time. We remember farmers under pressure because of low prices and late milk payments, may they know the peace of your presence. May we consumers never take our food for granted and may we value and support those who work tirelessly to feed us. This we ask in the name of Jesus.