VETERINARY surgeons could be asked to identify stressed farmers as part of an initiative to avoid mental illness and suicides in rural areas.

Health bosses in County Durham fear people in the farming community might be storing up mental health problems after the return of foot-and-mouth disease.

Many have called a special help-line, but few farmers are turning to their local doctors for help, according to a report to tomorrow's meeting of County Durham and Darlington Health Authority.

Health officials are thinking about asking local vets to identify members of the farming community who may be having particular problems.

In the report, Ceri Mathers, a health strategist for the authority, writes: "Vets are going to have reduced case loads when the epidemic has abated. They are familiar with farmers and trusted by them, and they may well have a role in engaging clients who appear to be experiencing ongoing problems."

The authority is also considering copying a mobile nursing service in Cumbria and Lancashire, which has involved employing peripatetic occupational health services, which tour markets, fairs, farms and meeting points to aid the farming community.

"The measures put in place to date have averted some episodes of distress, and we have not seen any suicides as experienced elsewhere in the country," writes Ms Mathers.

"However, the crisis is far from over and current service provision must evolve to reflect the needs of the population."

Read more about foot-and-mouth here.