News

11 Oct 2019

Young farmer launches coffee business and supports World Mental Health Day

Struggling with his own mental health, James has launched his coffee business in aid of World Mental Health Day, with part of the profits going to Make Tiny Changes - a mental health charity.

Having come from a non-farming background, James Rhys, 29, from South West Wales, found a passion for the industry after working on a farm in Gloucestershire on weekends.

He eventually gained a full-time job on the same farm, working with an award-winning herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, rearing dairy cross heifers and steers.

Fast-forward to 2014 and James moved to Scotland to work with sheep, running his own flock alongside some contract shepherding work. But after struggling with his mental health, the sheep were sold a year ago and he now helps on a small farm near Dumfries which runs a mix of commercial sheep and pedigree Galloway cattle.

And although there is more discussion around mental health in the farming industry, he still believes there is a long way to go and hopes the perception of it can still change.

He says: “I think it is vitally important to talk about mental health. There is still a stigma around it, but it is just like any other illness.

“You would not have a second thought about going to the doctor if you were feeling physically ill, and you would not be ashamed to talk openly about being sick, so why should it be any different when it comes to our mental health?

“There are so many pressures on farmers today, whether they are financial stresses, the impact of livestock attacks or diseases like TB, or the uncertainty surrounding the industry with Brexit. It can be too much to shoulder alone. I think the attitude is definitely changing, with farmers like Peter Hynes and Doug Avery sharing what they have been through and showing people it is OK to struggle and to ask for help. I know when I first opened up about my experiences on social media, the support and messages I received from people in the industry was overwhelming. I had struggled in silence for so long, but there were so many others who knew how I was feeling or just wanted to let me know it was OK to be open and honest.”