Covid had little impact on income but social isolation and loneliness left their mark

FARMERS feeling lonely or isolated as the Covid-19 pandemic now enters its second year have been advised to always make contact with a loved one, neighbour or a help group.

Teresa Roche, Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs representative, told the Farming Tribune that she wasn’t surprised at the recent findings of a farm survey on the impact of the Covid pandemic.

In the annual Farm Report carried out by Ifac, it found that three out of four farmers (75%) indicated that Covid-19 had impacted negatively on their social lives, while two out of five (40%) said that they didn’t know who to call for support.

“It has been a desperately difficult time for everyone but especially for people living alone in rural areas. The regular meeting places like the church, the pub and the mart have been taken from them and loneliness is a real problem,” Teresa Roche said this week.

She said that the five-kilometre travel limit (now relaxed to ‘within county’ journeys) had impacted very severely on many farmers who found themselves disconnected from family and friends.

“I know that some of these people may not be too familiar with technology and social media but their telephone has to be their lifeline. They should never hesitate to ring someone if they are feeling lonely or down . . . just make that call,” said Teresa Roche.

She said that she was also encouraging farmers to ‘get signed up’ for the vaccination programme which all medical and scientific experts agreed offered the best chance of a return to a normal life, or as close as we could get to this.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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