- Only 5 percent of people believe a farmer is tech savvy
- Less than 10 percent of people realise that many farmers are degree educated
- More than one in five people have never visited a farm
- One in seven people get their farming knowledge from Emmerdale
Despite most modern farms across the country relying on a host of technologies, including GPS steering systems, robot milking machines and even drones, only one in 20 (5 per cent) people surveyed would describe a farmer as tech savvy. In contrast, one in 10 (9 per cent) people think every farmer smokes a pipe, while a quarter (24 per cent) expect all farmers to wear a tweed jacket!
The reason for these misconceptions may be because more than one in five people (22 per cent) have never actually visited a farm, while a further 21 per cent haven't visited one for at least five years. Nearly one in five (17 per cent) people described farming as 'old-fashioned', with just one in ten (11 per cent) of those questioned saying they think farms are high-tech.
LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), who carried out the survey, are now calling on as many people as possible to visit a farm for next weekend’s Open Farm Sunday (7 June) to see modern farming in action. Annabel Shackleton, Open Farm Sunday Manager at LEAF said: “Farming has been a major part of British life for hundreds of years but that doesn’t mean that farming is stuck in the past. As a nation we’ve embraced technology at home and at work and farmers are no different. Many of today’s farms combine the best of traditional farming with the latest technological advances and environmental practices. Open Farm Sunday offers people the opportunity to see this for themselves, and discover the knowledge, passion and expertise that goes in to producing our food and managing the countryside.”
While there are still ‘family farms’ handed down from generation to generation, many of today’s farmers study agri-business at top universities and colleges. Despite this, less than one in ten (9.1%) people realise that a significant proportion of farmers are degree educated and less than a quarter (24 per cent) would describe a farm as a business, despite the total income from farming in the UK amounting to more than £5.5bn[i].
Less than three in ten (27 per cent) people surveyed said they got their farming knowledge from a farm visit, fewer than said that they got agricultural information from TV shows like Countryfile (32 per cent). One in seven (14 per cent) meanwhile said they got most of their knowledge from soap operas like Emmerdale.
On Sunday 7 June, nearly 400 farms of all types and sizes will be opening their gates for visitors to celebrate British farming and food. LEAF, the leading organisation delivering more sustainable farming and food, has run Open Farm Sunday since 2006. Open Farm Sunday is the agricultural industry’s open day and more than 1.25 million visitors have attended an event since it launched.
NOTES
•All stats One Poll Survey, 1,000 UK adults carried out May 2015.
•LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) is the leading organisation delivering more sustainable farming and food. It works with farmers, the food industry, scientists and consumers to inspire and enable sustainable farming that is prosperous, enriches the environment and engages local communities. LEAF has organised Open Farm Sunday since it began in 2006. (Registered charity no: 1045781)
•LEAF Marque is a farm assurance system recognising more sustainably farmed products. For more information visit: www.leafmarque.com
•The tenth annual Open Farm Sunday will take place on 7th June 2015. Open Farm Sunday provides a great opportunity for people to visit a farm to truly get to know how their food is produced and how the countryside around them is cared for. Over the past 10 years Open Farm Sunday has achieved so much: ◦1000 farmers have hosted events since the first Open Farm Sunday in 2006
◦1.25million visitors have been to Open Farm Sunday events since 2006
◦Last year 1 out of 5 visitors had never visited a farm before
◦85% of visitors said that they learnt something new about farming
•Sponsors of Open Farm Sunday 2015 include: Aldi, Arla, Asda, BASF plc, Defra, Farmcare, Farmers Weekly, Frontier Agriculture, John Deere, Kellogg’s, LEAF Marque, Marks and Spencer, National Farmers Union, Syngenta, The Tesco Eat Happy Project, Waitrose plus the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (from its BPEX, DairyCo, EBLEX, HGCA and HDC divisions).
•Alongside Open Farm Sunday, farms across Britain also host Open Farm School Days which will run throughout June. They will provide thousands of school children with the opportunity to visit a farm to learn more about where their food comes from and how it is produced. For more information visit www.farmschooldays.org
•Keep up to date with LEAF’s activities via twitter www.twitter.com/LEAF_Farming and our regular blogs at leafmarque.wordpress.com.
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For further information, images, or to arrange an interview with a farmer or Open Farm Sunday organiser contact:
David Gough or Jennifer John
Open Farm Sunday Press Office
T: 01189 475956
E: [email protected]
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