The Baton of Hope & Yellow Wellies Launch The Farming Pledge

In partnership with The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies), this new initiative aims to help those within the agricultural industry to have psychologically safe workspaces.

The Baton of Hope and The Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) have joined forces to launch the Farming Pledge: a new initiative for the farming and rural community designed to make their industry, workplaces and ways of life psychologically safe.

Following on from the success of the charity’s Workplace Pledge, in which such organisations as the Royal Mail, Sheffield United FC and Baxi have signed up to, this initiative allows agricultural businesses to demonstrate their commitment to the mental wellbeing of their employees. 

Organisations can sign up to one of three different levels of the Farming Pledge – Bronze, Silver or Gold – which come with a range of different resources and support around suicide prevention & awareness and mental health. All levels of the Farming Pledge include a suite of resources including guides, worksheets, posters and audio clips, while Silver and Gold levels offer training options. 

Ben Wilson, The Baton of Hope’s Clinical Director, said: “For many organisations, knowing where to start with supporting mental health can be daunting. That’s why we’ve made it simple with the Farming Pledge. Each pledger will get access to guidance, resources, print material and training to immediately implement.

“Collaborating with Yellow Wellies on the Farming Pledge to reach these farming communities up and down the country is incredibly important. The essential work they are already doing around protecting the farming community’s mental health speaks volumes.”

The Farming Pledge is officially launching at a special reception at The Farmer’s Club in Whitehall, London, on Friday 13th February 2026 to mark the final day of Yellow Wellies’ MIND YOUR HEAD campaign. Now in its ninth year, the annual awareness-raising campaign managed and funded by the Farm Safety Foundation aims to put a spotlight on mental health being the biggest hidden problem facing farmers today and ways to tackle it.

Stephanie Berkeley, Charity Manager for Yellow Wellies, explained: “Farming is more than a profession – it is a way of life. But it can be isolating, relentless and uncertain. 

Long hours, physical graft and a culture of “just get on with it” keep our industry moving but they can also keep too many of us silent for too long. We have seen much progress in talking about mental health, yet suicide prevention still lags. That has to change.”

As a small charity working every day to keep our farmers fit, safe and well, Yellow Wellies is proud to support The Baton of Hope’s Farming Pledge – a commitment to safer, more supportive workplaces and communities. It asks each of us to learn the signs, start honest conversations and signpost timely help, so a struggle does not become a crisis.