Care About Your Food? We do!

Open Farm Sunday 2009 offers everyone involved with producing our food and caring for the land, a chance to show consumers that they really do care. Interest in the provenance and quality of the food they eat has never been greater and consumers want to hear from farmers themselves about where and how the food they eat is produced, and reassurance that the countryside is also being cared for.

LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), organiser of Open Farm Sunday, is encouraging farmers and all those across the food chain to get involved on 7 June 2009. The day provides a great opportunity for visitors to explore the links between food and nature at their local farm.

Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF said: "Now in its fourth year, Open Farm Sunday is truly established as the industry’s open day. Not only does the campaign unite the whole agricultural industry, but it also provides a great stage for farmers to engage with their local community and communicate the excellent work they do. Feedback from farmers participating in 2008, and their visitors, clearly demonstrates that the Open Farm Sunday really does raise the people’s awareness and value the link between food, farming and nature – whilst offering farmers the opportunity to connect with their local community. So get in touch with the LEAF team to find out more about getting involved or supporting another local event".

Workshops for farmers and their helpers proved invaluable in spreading the word and planning events for 2008. Following on from the success, LEAF is planning more workshops than ever for 2009 to train and support host farmers and helpers. LEAF is also developing a range of materials to publicise events, including roadside boards, posters, stickers and clothing.