Healthwatch, a body which assesses the quality of health care for certain communities, published the report titled "farming and health in crisis", after surveying farmers on their access to healthcare, and experiences with health conditions.
"We’ve heard from farmers who feel completely cut off from healthcare services," Ashley Green, CEO of Healthwatch North Yorkshire, said.
"They’re struggling with their mental and physical health but keep going because they have no choice.
"It’s simply not good enough. The system needs to adapt to serve rural communities, not the other way around."
North Yorkshire is one of the country's farming hotspots with more than 6,000 farms and 85 per cent of the county being classed as "sparse" or "very rural".
Healthwatch's report found that 74 per cent of respondents were dealing with physical pain, 95 per cent of farmers under 40 said mental health concerns were a problem, and 31 per cent said they faced sleep problems.
One farmer, Andrew Sewell of Melbourne, near York, told The Press that the stresses of farming can contribute to these issues.
"For anybody now, seeing a doctor isn’t easy," he said. "I don’t think it fits with anyone’s lifestyle. If you’ve got a job you have to take time off.
RECOMMENDED READING:
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