Arla farmer owners open their gates

Arla Foods, a principal sponsor of Open Farm Sunday 2016 in the UK, is anticipating a record number of visitors through the gates of its owners’ farms on farming’s national open day, 5 June.

Arla farmer owners are inviting people on to their farms to understand what goes into their dairy products. Last year, 44 Arla farmers were involved in welcoming over 37,000 visitors and Arla is demonstrating its commitment this year, with around 60 farms set to take part in 2016, hoping to welcome 50,000.

Working closely with organizer LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), Arla is taking its place amongst top names from across the food and farming sector, supporting the initiative and highlighting the key role it can play in educating the British public about day to day life on Britain’s farms.

“We are incredibly proud to be part of Open Farm Sunday, a great initiative which highlights the hard work of British farmers,” says Arla owner Roger Hildreth at Curlew Fields Farm in Hessay, North Yorkshire.

“Visitors to our farms will get a better understanding of life on a farm and helping them make a connection with what we produce on farm with their favourite products in the supermarket,” she adds.

 Annabel Shackleton, LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday manager, explains, “Open Farm Sunday unites the whole industry. We are delighted to have been working with most of our sponsors for many years. Their ongoing and longstanding support shows their deep commitment to providing the public with the opportunity to visit a farm, learn more about British agriculture and how it impacts on everyone’s lives.

“The support demonstrates just how valuable Open Farm Sunday is to the industry and the continuing importance of connecting farmers with consumers. Our thanks goes to each of our sponsors and we look forward to working together with them to ensure the continued success of Open Farm Sunday.”