Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for natural environment and science, joined representatives from across the farming and food industry as they came together on the 17th November to launch LEAF’s Open Farm Sunday 2015 and to celebrate the campaign’s huge success to date.

The event, which was held at the House of Commons, recognised the positive contribution Open Farm Sunday has made over the last nine years in changing public perception and understanding of the farming industry and acknowledged the help of the hundreds of farmers and their helpers who have made it happen.

Since organisers LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) set up the campaign in 2006, over 1.25 million people have visited a farm on Open Farm Sunday. It provides a unique and inspiring opportunity for people of all ages to meet with farmers, find out how their food is produced and reconnect with the countryside.

Over the past two years, LEAF has extended its reach to school children through Open Farm School Days. Both these initiatives play a significant part in positively promoting farming as the high tech, forward thinking industry that it is. Registration for Open Farm Sunday (which will be held on 7th June 2015) and Open Farm School Days throughout June 2015, opens on the 1st December at www.farmsunday.org.

LEAF is calling on the industry to support this special anniversary to ensure that even more consumers experience farming at first hand and discover the story behind their food.

Caroline Drummond, LEAF’s Chief Executive explained why these open farm events are so important. “Community engagement is a core part of sustainable farming. This is why LEAF set up Open Farm Sunday in 2006 and we continue to drive forward this vital initiative which has achieved so much.

"The success of Open Farm Sunday has been achieved through industry collaboration with our sponsors, and the hundreds of dedicated farmers and their helpers who put on such great events.

“I would like to thank everyone for what has been achieved so far. But we have only just begun. Our vision is to continue to increase the reach and impact of Open Farm Sunday and our developing Open Farm School Days over the next ten years so that more families and school children can visit a farm and discover what sustainable farming is all about."

Open Farm Sunday and Open Farm School Days have the support of a wide range of organisations and businesses from across the farming and food industry. AHDB, BASF, Defra, Farmcare, Frontier Agriculture, Farmers Weekly, John Deere, Kelloggs, LEAF Marque, National Farmers Union, Syngenta, and supermarkets Aldi, Asda and Marks and Spencer have already pledged their support for 2015.

For more information visit www.farmsunday.org or follow @openfarmsunday on Twitter.

Statistics.

2006 - First Open Farm Sunday took place: 30K visitors.

2014 - 9th Open Farm Sunday: 375 farms, 207K visitors.

1,000 farmers have been involved.

1.25 million people have visited an Open Farm Sunday event to date.

1 in 5 have never visited a farm before.