Farmers called out on health checks after Laois leader's cancer scare

Farmers should prioritise their health by getting regular checkups according to Irish Farmers Association (IFA) President, Francie Gorman who has just returned to work after a cancer scare.

The Ballinakill man returned to his role as leader of the IFA this month following the removal of a pancreatic tumour which proved to be benign.

The Laois leader had been out of action since the middle of February. His last public engagement was the Laois IFA AGM where he advised local farmers that he was stepping back temporarily on health grounds.

The Laois man confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live that the tumour was not cancerous. The existence of a growth was discovered after he attended his GP for other checks.

He says that many farmers avoid going to see their doctor and he confesses that he has done the same. However, he believes he has a lesson learned from this close call.

He is using his recent experience and his position of influence as IFA President to urge farmers to put their health first.

He said far too often farmers will admit their “health their wealth” when they have been treated successfully.

“We are not proactive enough about our health...If you are not feeling well don't put it on the long finger,” he said.

He hopes the IFA will run free health check clinics around Ireland in 2025 following the success of the 024 tour. He said these checks are costly for farmers if they were to go to a doctor so they have no excuse in availing of them if not free

High cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and poor wellbeing rates were common results to emerge from the farmer health initiative spearheaded by the IFA.

The Farmer Health Check programme was run by the IFA and Croí, the Heart & Stroke Charity. It was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The mobile health service offered free health assessments and tailored advice for farmers in marts and other locations where farmers gathered last October and November. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Francie Gorman at the Laois IFA AGM at the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel in February 2025 just before stepping away for treatment. Pic: Alf Harvey

The outreach approach aimed to make it easy for farmers to get advice within their communities.

The programme aimed to provide a quick and comprehensive overview of health, focusing on areas such as heart disease risk, early detection of diabetes, mental health, and well-being. It also provided information on prostate and skin cancer. Advice on local support services was also available.

The project was run against the backdrop of studies which show farmers are significantly at a higher risk of exhibiting multiple risk factors, such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.

The main areas of concern are: high stress levels, lack of health checks, poor diet, and decreasing exercise levels.

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy Rae launched the results of the initiative in March.
Over the course of 20 agricultural events and marts visited a total of 1,224 health checks were completed. Of the participants, 85% were over 45 years. A quarter were female and the remainder male.

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The checks carried out were: blood pressure and pulse check, cholesterol measurement, blood glucose level, waist circumference measurement, and mental health questionnaire.

On blood pressure, 41% or 506 people had elevated levels. Of those who took part 39% of participants hadn’t had a BP check in over a year. Just 2% reported never having a BP check.

It was found that 4.4% or 23 participants, required immediate medical attention presenting with BP readings above 180/110.
Cholesterol tests were carried out on people who had not had their levels checked in the previous months.

Of the 729 participants, almost half had elevated levels. It was also found that 135 individuals who were checked had elevated cholesterol and BP which greatly increased their risk of cardiovascular disease.

The results showed that 40% were unaware of their most recent cholesterol reading.

Blood glucose levels were also checked. A quarter of participants measured over 7mmol. Such a reading or higher on two separate tests is diagnosed as diabetes. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Pictured: Checkup clinic.

The results commented that many factors feed into blood glucose readings and time would have been spent discussing these factors with individuals and referring them on for further investigation where suitable

Waist circumference was also measured as this helps build a better picture around cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk.

A Mental Health Wellbeing scale was completed by 506 people.

This showed an average of 53.8% level of well-being. Nearly six out of ten farmers never or rarely felt relaxed. Almost half of those surveyed never/rarely felt confident in themselves.

Low outlook levels were also revealed with 46% never or rarely feeling optimistic about the future.

Follow-up recomendations were made at the checkup locations. Some 11% or 136 individuals were advised to seek immediate follow-up with their GP.

A further 37% or 448 farmers were recommended to follow up with their GP within 1 month. Some 40% or 492 individuals were advised to plan a yearly health check.

All those who attended were given individual lifestyle advice regarding diet, exercise, stress management, etc.
The merits of the partnership programme were also assessed.

Access, relaxed atmosphere, time to talk / open conversations, immediate results shared, peer engagement/ encouragement were all found to be attributes of the events.

Challenges were also identified. One was not being able to meet the demand for checks from farmers at the locations visited.

Finding suitable spaces in marts was also seen as an obstacle to success.

Discussions are underway to run the initiative again in 2023. A guide to health for farmers is available online at www.ifa.ie/healthcheck/