A nationwide farming survey has concluded its first stage.

RABI’s Big Farming Survey is the largest ever research project into the health and wellbeing of farming people throughout England and Wales and has received more than 15,000 responses. It is expected that the findings will inform the development of RABI and other organisations in the sector in the hope of providing future support and service strategies for farming people.

Alicia Chivers, CEO of Rabi, said: “The results have exceeded our expectations and astounded many. We are hugely grateful to every organisation and individual who has supported the Big Farming Survey.

“The results will provide a true reflection of the pressures and the impacts that people are facing, both from a personal and business perspective.”

The survey is now closed and the Centre for Rural Research Policy at the University of Exeter will analyse the responses, with the aim of publishing the survey’s findings at a launch even this autumn.

Matt Lobley, Professor of Rural Resource Management at the University of Exeter, said: “The response from the farming community has been outstanding. Receiving around 15.5k responses means we have a really robust dataset reflecting different farming situations, a broad range of farm types and sizes, and a good mix of tenures, upon which we will base our analysis.

Alicia finished by saying: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has completed, shared and supported the Big Farming Survey. Through our combined efforts, we can develop the best possible tools to enhance farmer and business resilience now and for years to come.”

RABI was founded in 1860 and works to offer supports and services to farmers and the challenges that they face.