Adam Henson backs 'Discover Dairy' Campaign
With recent research suggesting an alarming lack of knowledge about the origins of food, especially amongst young people, farmer and TV presenter Adam Henson is urging everyone to Discover Dairy farming with a series of new online films.
British Nutrition Foundation research[i] published this summer found that a third (29 per cent) of primary school children think that cheese comes from plants, and one in five (21 per cent) had never visited a farm.
A separate 2013 study[i] showed that less than half of 18-24 year olds knew it was possible to visit a farm, compared to eight out of ten over 65s – clearly showing that whilst the older generation are very familiar with country life, some younger people don’t have the same connection to where their food comes from.
Yet farmers[ii] say that social media has made interaction with the public easier than ever before – providing the perfect platform to give young people access to farming insights and spark their attention.
The online series of videos, featuring on www.thisisdairyfarming.com, will see Adam Henson discovering the life of dairy cows - covering questions such as whether cows sleep standing up and if they have their own social circles - plus uncovering the journey milk makes from farm to fridge, and answering children’s quirky questions about cows and farming. The site will also host a first - a 90-second documentary filmed from a cow’s perspective - COMING SOON.
Adam Henson says:
“Dairy farmers do a great job producing our food but the lack of knowledge about farming is concerning. We need to bridge the gap between the people who are out there every day caring for cows and those who only ever connect with milk in their morning latte. For most of us the easiest way of doing that is through online and social media, so I’d urge anyone to get connected by following @thisisdairy and being part of the discussion on #DISCOVERDAIRY.
It’s the first time a generation has direct and easy access to the hearts and minds of the farming community, so let’s use it and celebrate how great dairy farming is in this country.”
The Discover Dairy campaign is run by dairy farmers through DairyCo, an evidence based not-for-profit organisation providing independent information about dairy farming.
Amanda Ball from DairyCo says:
“People are rightly asking more questions about where their food comes from and the easiest way to trust the quality of milk, cheese and other dairy foods is to look for the Red Tractor logo when you’re shopping. The logo guarantees that the products come from cows that are well cared for and shows that they have been produced to responsible food safety and environmental standards.
We know from our own research that young people are keen to learn more about farming, and by bringing the information to them at a click of a button, we’re hoping they’ll keep asking questions and discovering more.”
Adam Henson features in a new series of videos to help you #DISCOVERDAIRY - VIEW ALL
[i] 1,000 UK adults surveyed by Visioncritical (February 2013)
[ii] Online survey of 189 farmers carried out by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) in May 2013