Powys farmer says abuse from dad was 'torture' and wants more support - BBC News
BBC Homepage
Skip to content
Accessibility Help
Your account
Home
News
Sport
Earth
Reel
Worklife
Travel
Culture
Future
Music
TV
Weather
Sounds
More menu
More menu
Search BBC
Home
Climate
World
UK
Business
Tech
Science
Entertainment & Arts
Health
In Pictures
BBC Verify
Newsbeat
Wales
Wales Politics
Wales Business
North West
North East
Mid
South West
South East
Cymru
Local News
'Dad dragged me out of bed by my hair to work' - rural abuse victims want more support
Image caption: Tracy Lewis says as a child she would sometimes think about calling Childline because she felt so petrified of the abuse inflicted on her by her dad
By
Gemma Dunstan
BBC Wales
Published
6 October 2026
Updated 2 hours ago
Warning: This story contains content that some readers might find distressing
Growing up on a farm, Tracy Lewis loved being around its animals but said the physical and emotional abuse from her farmer father was "torture".
When she was eight, she recalled her dad pulling her out of bed by her hair to go lambing as her mum told her "you have to get the lamb out or we're both going to die".
Tracy, now 48 and a farmer herself, and other domestic abuse survivors are calling on governments to better support victims in rural areas.
The UK government said it was working to address disparities while the Welsh government said challenges will be considered in its next national strategy.
For many people, the idea of growing up in the mid-Wales countryside surrounded by trees and animals sounds idyllic, but Tracy says her dad was physically and emotionally abusive.
Tracy's family have given their permission to the BBC for her to share her story.
"I remember my father pulled me out of bed by my hair to go and lamb a ewe,"* she recalled. *"I walked past the bathroom and my mum's face had blood all over it and her nose was squashed, she'd been crying. She said to me, you have to get the lamb out or we're both going to die."
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
This video can not be played
Figure caption: Tracy said she felt "trapped" on the farm
Tracy said the animals would sometimes be used as a form of control or a catalyst for abuse.
"I was getting beaten up when something died, my mum was getting hurt when an animal was poorly,"* she recalled. *"It felt like slavery, we loved the animals and farming but we were isolated and stuck."
Tracy, who was raised at the farm in Llanbister in Powys, would sometimes think about calling Childline as she said she felt so petrified.
"The farming world is the best place to be, neighbours will always help you out but abuse can be hidden very easily," said the mum-of-three.
**"Everyone knows everybody, but what goes on behind closed doors will stay behind closed doors.
"For me it was terror and horror, my mum got the worst of it and she tried her best to protect us. But she was totally isolated, the farm was her life."
She said farmers often had generational businesses and relied on markets and trade with others, and that raising abuse could affect livelihoods.
Image source: Tracy Lewis
Image caption: Tracy Lewis now farms on the smallholding where she grew up between Llandrindod Wells and Newtown in mid-Wales
Tracy also claimed her father, who is now dead, financially abused her, stating that the farm would be passed down to her.
She said she had worked on it for 20 years and had paid rent to him under the impression the family farm would one day become hers.
After finding out it was not left to her in his will, she said she had to "fight" to retain ownership of it.
Tracy is one of about 11 million people living in rural areas - more than 15% of the UK population.
The National Rural Crime Network says the true picture of rural abuse is often hidden, with survivors often having more barriers to reach out for help.