A dairy farm in Wiltshire has welcomed in visitors for a behind-the-scenes experience of life on the farm, in the hopes of correcting misconceptions about farming.
Sharcott Pennings Farm in Pewsey is one of only two UK dairy farms to partner up with the supermarket Aldi, Arla Foods, and LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) to show the British public what farming is really all about.
As part of the LEAF Open Farm Sunday, visitors were invited to don their wellies and get involved with meeting the animals, touring the farm, and sampling some of the products made from Arla milk directly at the source of where they're made.
Over 800 locals took part in the event to get a behind-the-scenes look at what farming is really like (Image: City Press)
The Pewsey farm hosted over 800 people who also participated in robotic milking and calf feeding, machinery displays, sheep steering demonstrations, and even making electricity from cow dung.
"It was so interesting to see the process of the dairy industry, and the kids absolutely loved it," said mother of two Leslie Baker.
The Aldi Dairy Farm Partnership, which supported the event, was launched in 2018 in partnership with Arla Foods, and the programme aims to support British dairy farmers in improving high welfare and sustainability at farm level.
“The Open Farm Sunday event allowed us to answer people’s questions about farming, correcting some of the common misconceptions that people have," said Neil Ridgway, Farm Manager at Sharcott Pennings Farm.
“Arla and Aldi play a huge part in the future of UK dairy – and it was great to show our high animal welfare standards and share our nutritious dairy products with the public.”
Liz Fox, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, added: “We’re committed to supporting British farmers in any way that we can and our partnership with Arla allows us to do just that for the dairy farming community.
“Inviting the public to visit some of the farms in our programme and learn all about the farming process has the power to change the way that people think about farming, so we’re really pleased the event was a success.”
Aldi claims that it is committed to working with British suppliers, and by doing so, ensures that its everyday fresh meat and dairy ranges are sourced from 100 per cent British farms which are Red Tractor assured.
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