12th June 2023 | Royal Visits to Surrey
British farmers rally public support on LEAF Open Farm Sunday – farming’s annual open day
On Sunday 11th June, over 250 farmers across Britain welcomed thousands of people onto farms for farming’s annual open day.
Managed by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), LEAF Open Farm Sunday offers a wonderful opportunity for visitors to get closer to farming and the people that make it happen. Each event is unique, each farm is different and every farmer too, but what they all share is a passion for farming, amazing expertise, and a commitment to caring for the countryside.
Visiting a working farm provided a brilliant opportunity for people to talk directly with the farmers that produce their food and learn about what is involved in sustainable food production, a topic that is at the forefront of many households.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh visited Hampton Estate Farms in Surrey to celebrate LEAF Open Farm Sunday – farming’s annual open day. During her visit The Duchess saw first-hand what farming delivers, from meeting the expert bovine vet who cares for the estate’s pedigree herd of Sussex beef cows, learning about the history and process of hop growing, through to seeing the latest John Deere tractor and direct drill technology and hearing about how regenerative farming preserves and enhances biodiversity.
The Duchess met some inspirational young people to hear about how they are forging their careers in the sector. She also met the Estate’s butcher, ‘Simon the Butcher’ who captains Team GB in the World Butchers’ Challenge, and aquatic biodiversity expert Pete (the Pond) Birchall who designed the newly created educational freshwater pond. It was an all-round field to fork experience with The Duchess also enjoying sampling wild roe venison sausages from Hampton.
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