The National Farmers’ Union’s (NFU) Why Farming Matters teaching packs have gone to the top of the class after proving extremely popular with the country’s primary and secondary schools.

Working with Farming and Countryside Education (FACE), the NFU originally launched the packs in 2007, aimed at helping teachers deliver lessons on the importance of food and farming.

More than 15,000 have now been requested and delivered to schools across the country, with 3,500 of the secondary school packs snapped up in the past 12 months alone. All secondary school hard copies have now gone, although electronic versions are still available to download from the FACE website. Teachers can still get their hands on the primary school packs.

The packs include booklets containing a series of activities for children at Key Stages Two and Three on a wide range of farming topics, as well as three sets of picture cards and a DVD containing interviews with farmers about their lives and work.

NFU senior campaigns officer Gemma Fitzpatrick said: “The packs have been hugely successful over the last two years and we continue to get requests from both primary and secondary schools nationwide. They are a fantastic resource for teachers, full of activities and ideas for learning about farming.

“It is vitally important that youngsters understand the role farming plays in their everyday lives so they have a better idea of where their food comes from. These packs are easy to understand and help explain agriculture in a positive and balanced way.”

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