£20,000 was donated in April 2025 to Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) for a farmer’s health care programme working in partnership with a network of farm support groups (FSG), offering health checks.
The groups met farmers and other professionals involved in farming at a place they go to frequently – agricultural shows and livestock markets (auction marts). These are a key point of business as farmers buy and sell animals, but they’re also a huge part of rural community’s social life.
Each group had a station or hub at the marts where farmers met nurses for health screening checks. Each was a unique service according to local need and resources. Services included blood pressure tests, referrals to GPs or specialist organisations, cholesterol tests, advice about eating well and staying fit, and wellbeing advice.
How was the programme delivered?
Overall, 210 clinics were held, with 3,313 health checks delivered (from full checks to blood pressure)
Field Nurse
- Representation at four auction marts in Lancashire and Yorkshire
- Nurses provided blood pressure checks, health advice and support.
- 128 clinics held and 509 health checks
Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN)
- Representation at five different areas across Lincolnshire.
- Health screenings included blood pressure and cholesterol checks.
- 53 clinics held and 1,451 health screenings (249 were blood pressure checks)
Monmouthshire Rural Support Centre (MRSC)
- Delivered at Monmouthshire Livestock Market.
- Undertook pre-emptive health screenings including checks of blood pressure, cholesterol, ear health, heart rhythm and pre-existing conditions.
- 9 clinics at Monmouthshire Livestock Market and 99 full health checks
Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution
- Representation at 20 marts and shows throughout Scotland (including the Highlands, Perth, Dumfries, Black Isle, Keith, Orkney, Stirling, Inverurie, Fort William, Ayr, Castle Douglas).
- Blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels checks and health advice
- 20 clinics around Scotland and 1,254 blood pressure checks
Who did the money help?
99.7% of farmers identify as white in England (DEFRA, 2025), and the ethnicity demographics of this programme reflect this. About a quarter to a third of participants were female and the rest male, with an age range of 27 to 90 years old.
Key feedback from participants
Feedback collected through surveys, suggestion boxes, and conversations revealed:
- Improvements in mood.
- Greater awareness of blood pressure and overall health.
- More proactive attitudes toward prioritising health (83% felt better able to look after their physical health after receiving LRSN support)
- Reduced stigma enabled farmers to take practical steps toward better health and well-being (90% made lifestyle changes after their health check with LRSN)
- More people engaging with health professionals
A farmer’s perspective on their health check
A livestock farmer, aged 54, visited the clinic for advice about a blood shot eye and told the nurse she was under some pressure at home and in the business. She agreed to a blood pressure check, which revealed a high blood pressure reading.
She had her own blood pressure monitor, so the nurse gave her the forms to record some readings at home and then asked her to have a GP assessment.
She dropped in several weeks later to say the readings remained high even at home, and the GP had prescribed some medication following various tests and checks at the surgery. She was very grateful for the help at the market.
She said she wouldn’t have made the time otherwise for a check-up and without it she wouldn’t have discovered her hypertension issues until much later.
She said,
“Brilliant service, you have helped me adjust my diet, and I feel reassured. My blood pressure has lowered since my last visit, thank you. The knowledge about my high cholesterol level combined with my at-risk blood pressure measurement has saved my life!”
The future for farm checks
Due to the success of the project, RCF intend to secure funding to continue supporting these projects sustainably and encourage other appropriate FSG groups to consider setting up health hubs.