AVA Conference Perth 2019

Is animal welfare and farmer depression intrinsically linked? It is sometimes easy to see an impending disaster when called out to a sick animal and you wonder if this is only the tip of the iceberg. How do you progress from dealing with the one animal to discussing the whole flock, the whole farm and the farmers health? The high incidence of farmer suicide must alert in us to be aware of farmer’s mental health status. Factors such as isolation, loss of respect for farmers in the general community, lack of access to services when personal issues do arise all contribute to making farmers especially susceptible. Added to this are the factors outside the farmers control such as weather, the Australian dollar and commodity prices. Do we as vets have a role in helping farmers struck by depression. Decision making is well recognised as one of the hardest tasks when depression hits, asking for help is another. What questions can we ask to start this conversation? What resources are available and what more are needed?