SYDNEY, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Farmers' Federation in Australia on Wednesday provided "saddening statistics" about the wellbeing of farmers across the country, reporting that close to a third felt a decline in their mental health over the past few years.

Conducted between Feb. 2 and Feb. 17, the newly-released National Farmer Wellbeing Report was based on a survey of 1,338 Australian farmers aged over 18, covering all states and territories across Australia.

According to the report, nearly half of Australian farmers have felt depressed in recent years, with 64 percent experiencing anxiety. For 14 percent of the respondents, feeling blue is a frequent experience.

The report also underlined an "even more devastating" result, saying that 45 percent of Australian farmers have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide, while 30 percent have attempted self-harm or suicide.

When asked about factors impacting their mental health, most respondents, about 47 percent, ticked the box of "weather or natural disasters," followed by 36 percent blaming "financial stress" and 35 percent citing "inflation and cost pressures."

The report pointed out that 88 percent of Australian farmers have had their farming operation significantly impacted by natural disasters over the past five years, with an average cost of 1.4 million Australian dollars (about 930,000 U.S. dollars) per farm.

In addition, for those who have experienced mental health challenges, 17 percent did not want to seek or receive help, while 11 percent felt too embarrassed to do so. One in seven farmers also reported difficulty in accessing suitable services at their community.

"We saw first-hand the devastating impacts the unprecedented flooding event twelve months ago combined with the ongoing wet weather has on our farmers, many of whom are still rebuilding physically, financially, and emotionally," said Michael Hampson, chief executive of the dairy co-operative Norco, which commissioned the report in partnership with the National Farmers' Federation.

"Overlay this with years of heavy drought, bushfires, and now rising input costs across all farming sectors, and it's unfortunately the reality that many farmers are doing it tough," Hampson added.

On March 15, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry projected a 7-percent drop in farm cash income at the national level in 2022-23, because of lower prices for most commodities and input costs remaining high after significant increases in 2021-22.

The department said that incomes for broadacre farms are expected to decrease in all states except Western Australia and South Australia in 2022-23, with incomes in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria impacted by heavy rainfall and flooding during the year. Enditem

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