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The first ever National Open Farm Day is set to take place on bank holiday Monday, 7 May 2018.
Organised by Agri Aware, this will be the first time in Ireland that farms from across the country will simultaneously open their gates to the public on one day. The aim is to educate consumers about what happens on a working farm and to encourage families to learn more about where our food comes from.
The countrywide event will involve farm walks, educational talks, cookery demonstrations, family activities and much more.
The farms
The first year of the event will feature four mixed enterprise host farms:
1. John and Ann Coughlan, dairy and beef farmers in Ballyellis, Buttevant, Co Cork.
2. Padraic and Breege Joyce, dairy farmers in Islandeady, Castlebar, Co Mayo.
3. Tom and Geraldine Short, sheep and tillage farmers at Kilmullen House, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow.
4. Padraic and Bríd McMahon, beef, sheep, turkey and tillage farmers in Fieldstown West, Kilsallagh, Co Dublin.
On the day day
On 7 May, each of the farms will open their gates to the public from 11am to 4pm and have a full programme of activities.
All of the host farms are full members of Bord Bia's Quality Assurance scheme and its Origin Green programme.
We hope to open the lines of communication between farmers and the consumers
Launching the event, Agri Aware chair Richard Moeran said: "This national event aims to connect consumers directly with the primary producers of our food in a transparent and highly engaging way.
“We hope to open the lines of communication between farmers and the consumers of their products and develop a greater understanding about how the food we eat everyday gets to our tables.
“The nationwide events will also allow people to experience what day-to-day life on a working farm involves and the measures farmers undertake to produce safe, quality food in a sustainable way."
3,000 ag science students take to the fields for Farm Walk and Talk 2018
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