One in 10 Irish people have never visited a farm – while one in three Irish people have not visited a farm in the past five years, according to research carried out on behalf of Agri Aware.

For 55% of these people, the reason was simply that they never had the opportunity. 

This research – conducted by RED C – comes as Agri Aware gears up for its inaugural National Open Farm Day, which will take place on four farms around the country this bank holiday Monday (May 7).

This, according to Agri Aware, 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.

The research was carried out by RED C among more than 1,000 respondents nationwide.

Commenting on the research, Agri Aware executive director Deirdre O’Shea said: “As we become an increasingly urbanised nation, many people are losing the connection between the activity carried out year-round by farmers all over our country and the food that they consume every day.

“Our research clearly shows that Irish people would welcome the opportunity to visit a working farm to learn more about how our food is produced.

“We are delighted to be able to facilitate this through our first National Open Farm Day,” O’Shea said.

Agri Aware’s National Open Farm Day will take place on bank holiday Monday, May 7 – this day week.

The host farmers include: John and Ann Coughlan, Buttevant, Co. Cork; Padraic and Breege Joyce, Castlebar, Co. Mayo; Tom and Geraldine Short, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow; and Padraic and Brid McMahon, Fieldstown West, north Co. Dublin.

This free public event is being hosted by Agri Aware, the Irish agri-food educational body, and is supported by a number of industry patrons.

On the day, each of the farms will open their gates to the public from 11:00am to 4:00pm and each location will offer its own unique programme of activities.

For full details of the activities planned on each farm, along with directions, visit the Agri Aware website.