UK ear tag manufacturer, Allflex, is using its distinctive range of purple secondary ear tags to show its support for mental health charity, The Kaleidoscope Plus Group. With 1p from the sale of every set of sheep or cattle tags with a purple secondary tag being donated to the charity, Allflex hopes to raise £10,000.
The Kaleidoscope Plus Group works to promote positive health and well-being in communities – including those in remote and rural settings – and to provide appropriate services and support for people experiencing ill health.
One of the charity’s key goals in 2019 and beyond is to raise awareness of the impact of mental illness in farming communities and to help those affected. Allflex will be supporting the charity by donating 1p from each set of sheep or cattle tags with a purple secondary tag sold between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020.
“It is well documented that the agricultural community suffers one of the highest suicide rates in the UK, with loneliness, isolation and the lack of opportunity for communication all contributing factors,” explains Ashley Musgrave, Allflex UK General Manager.
“As a company with its heart and soul firmly rooted in the rural community, we want everyone in the farming industry to enjoy a brighter future. We have therefore teamed up with The Kaleidoscope Plus Group to challenge the stigma associated with mental health issues and to increase awareness of the devastating impact that mental illness can have on farming families and the wider rural community.
“It is a legal requirement to tag all cattle and sheep, so we’re asking livestock farmers to make a difference by ‘choosing purple’ for the next 12 months,” Mr Musgrave continues. “We’re aiming to raise £10,000 for the charity and are hopeful the farming community will really get behind this worthy cause.”
Dave Pickard, corporate business development and research manager for The Kaleidoscope Plus Group adds: “We are so excited to be working with Allflex UK on this new campaign. The Office of National Statistics reported in 2017 that at least one agricultural worker dies each week in the UK as a result of suicide, which is why it is so important that we start looking at and supporting those working within this sector. With the support of Allflex and its customers, we now have a great opportunity to increase mental health provision and support in rural and isolated communities.”
The Allflex purple charity tags for cattle and sheep are available immediately and can be ordered from local agricultural merchants or through Allflex representatives.
