Samaritans: Number of calls from farmers on the rise

MANY of the 38,000 calls to the Samaritans in Limerick during 2006 came from farmers.

A dramatic increase in the number of calls from farmers is due to increasing depression, isolation and loneliness, said a local spokesman for the organisation, which is available 24 hours a day to provide confidential support for people in distress or despair.

Michael Kearney was accepting €9,000 from Limerick IFA chairman Michael Roche. Raising the money was one of the Golden Jubilee Year projects undertaken by Limerick IFA.