Dying to Farm: Developing a Suicide Prevention Intervention for Farmers in Ireland

Mental health problems and suicide are continually reported as major concerns for those actively employed in the Irish farming sector. Relative to other occupational groups, farmers experience a higher burden of health problems including mental health (Roy et al, 2013) and suicide (Roberts et al, 2013). Agriculture is also the most dangerous sector in Ireland in which to work (HSA, 2020). However, from 2014 to 2019, death from suicide and self-harm for farmers in Ireland is consistently higher (with the exception of 2017) than death from farm accidents. Despite this, research has focused more on farm safety than mental health or mental health supports for farmers. To date, no published research has examined risk factors associated with suicide among Irish farmers nor has any published research examined intervention acceptability among farmers.