Agri Aware announces details of inaugural 'National Open Farm Day'

Four leading farms to open gates to the public on Bank Holiday Monday, 7th May

​Agri Aware, the Irish agri-food educational body, has today announced details of its inaugural ‘National Open Farm Day’ which will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, 7th May 2018. 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 to help educate consumers about what happens on a working farm and to encourage families to learn more about where our food comes from.

Pictured at the Agri Aware Open Farm launch event are (L-R) host farmers Breege and Padraic Joyce from Co. Mayo; John and Ann Coughlan from Co. Cork; Deirdre O'Shea Executive Director, Agri Aware; host farmers Tom and Geraldine Short from Co. Wicklow; Padraic and Brid McMahon from Co. Dublin and Agri Aware Chairman Richard Moeran.

The countrywide event will involve farm walks, educational talks, cookery demonstrations, family activities and much more. The first year of the event will feature four mixed enterprise host farms in Cork, Mayo, Wicklow and Dublin.

​Speaking at the announcement, Agri Aware Chairman, 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.”
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Agri Aware’s National Open Farm Day 2018 host farmers are:

• John and Ann Coughlan - Dairy and Beef Farm in Ballyellis, Buttevant, Co. Cork
• Padraic and Breege Joyce - Dairy Farm in Islandeady, Castlebar, Co Mayo
• Tom and Geraldine Short - Sheep & Tillage Farm at Kilmullen House, Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow
• Padraic and Bríd McMahon - Beef, Sheep, Turkey & Tillage Farm in Fieldstown West, Kilsallagh, Co Dublin

​On the day, each of the farms will open their gates to the public from 11am – 4pm and each location will offer its own unique programme of activities, full details of which will be announced closer to the time.

​All of the host farms are full members of Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance scheme and its Origin Green programme which ensure that they are farmers that adhere to the highest standards of quality, safety and traceability with exemplary sustainability measures in place.