Farmers across Britain are celebrating the success of the 18th anniversary Open Farm Sunday (OFS), the industry’s annual open day which took place on Sunday 9th June. Managed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) since it began in 2006, the day brought together the whole food and farming industry to put farming centre stage.
Annabel Shackleton, OFS Manager, expresses her thanks to everyone who opened their gates and opened visitors’ minds to the incredible story behind the journey our food takes from field to fork:
“It has been a truly tremendous celebration of the hard work that farming’s Guardians of the Earth do day in day out to farm sustainably in harmony with nature. The feedback we’ve received has been phenomenal.”
More than 225 Open Farm Sunday events took place on farms of all types and sizes across Britain, from Jersey to Shetland. Widespread promotion on broadcast media, including on BBC Radio 2, and over 40 local and regional radio stations, highlighted the work farmers do as Guardians of the Earth and encouraged visitors to discover the farming stories on their doorstep, as well as showcasing the sector to attract new entrants.
New research commissioned by LEAF ahead of Open Farm Sunday 2024* indicates that while most Britons (94%) think the work that farmers do is important, sadly only 12% of the nation claim to be well informed about what farmers do for the countryside.
“Our survey findings demonstrate why an event like Open Farm Sunday is so important to our industry and in contributing to the wider education of local communities,” adds Mrs Shackleton.
“People have a healthy appetite to learn more about what farmers do in terms of land management, nature protection, environmental stewardship and food production. The most powerful voices to share their knowledge and experiences are those of farmers themselves and this year’s OFS activities have proved just that.”
LEAF extends its thanks to all our Open Farm Sunday principal sponsors, all the farmers, volunteers and wider industry contacts who helped host events across Britain, as well as the hundreds of thousands of visitors who attended. Next year’s Open Farm Sunday will take place on 8 June 2025.
