There appears to be a direct correlation between tough farming years and increased suicide rates among farmers, according to Jeanette Maxwell, Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre chairperson.

Jeanette said that correlation was not surprising, given the stresses farmers were under during adverse weather conditions or harsh economic events.

The black dog of depression features on the
'When life's a bitch” card.

Farming's suicide rate is 16 per 100,000 people compared to 11.2 for every 100,000 people living in urban areas.
Those statistics were among the reasons Federated Farmers had launched its 'when life's a bitch…” campaign.
'It took 18 months to get off the ground because you are not allowed to talk about suicide,” Jeanette told the Bay of Plenty branch of Federated Farmers conference.
Key to the campaign is a small green business card with a silhouette of black dog and the words 'When life's a bitch… down? tired? stressed? anxious? Angry?” on the front. On the reverse, the card says: 'Speak up – there's a way through”. It also has the address of the depression website and phone number for Lifeline, as well as the emergency 111 number.
'We used the black bitch image because many people refer to depression as being like a black dog. The card is that size because it can be carried in a pocket or wallet and if it needs to be used, someone can hold it in the palm of their hand and others won't know they are looking at it.”
Jeanette said the rate of suicides was eight men to every one woman – and it is the maternal instinct which often stops women taking their lives. 'They worry about their children, and who the step-mother might be.”
Farming, as a sector, had an unacceptable death rate from accidents too – which was not alright, she said.
Every farm should have a health and safety plan, and there was a need to take the personal wellbeing of farmers and their employees into account too.
Federated Farmers is working alongside a number of organisations such as the Dairy Women's Network, DairyNZ, Rural Women New Zealand, Ministry of Health, New Zealand Institute of Rural Health, AgResearch, Vodafone, Beef and Lamb, Farmsafe and AgITO to make rural mental health and wellbeing, a priority.