Townies flock to countryside to sample life in rural Britain as farms throw open their gates

The farmyard gates of more than 400 British farms were thrown open Sunday to give 'townies' a chance to see rural life in action.

Open Farm Sunday was welcomed by Britain's best known farmer, the Prince of Wales who runs a 360-hectare organic farm on his vast rural estate, Highgrove in Gloucestershire.

Even the country's most popular radio soap, the Archers, joined in by staging open days at rival farms in the make-believe rural village of Ambridge.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, said in his message: "Open Farm Sunday is a marvellous occasion which enables people to reconnect with farming, food and the countryside.

"It is a real opportunity to rediscover, or perhaps learn for the first time, the links between food, farming and nature and the importance of a thriving agricultural sector to the countryside.

"By properly valuing today our food and the vital role that natural systems play, we can safeguard this sector for our children and grandchildren tomorrow."

This year's nationwide event, the tenth Open Farm Sunday has been organised by the charity Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF). More than 1.25 million people have visited farms since the event was inaugurated.

Organisers LEAF said a survey linked to Open Farm Sunday revealed a third of Britons are unaware potatoes or apples are grown in Britain, with many of those quizzed saying they didn't realise oats were harvested in Britain either.

The survey also revealed a third of primary school age children had never heard the sound of a cow mooing, or the baa,baa sound of a grazing sheep.

Said a LEAF spokesman: "Despite British farmers producing 60 percent of the food we eat in this country many consumers are unsure of what we actually grow here."

"Modern farming means we now grow and produce a huge diversity of foods - but the public appears unaware of more recent additions to British agriculture. Only a few people recognise we now commercially grow or produce tea, lime leaves or buffalo mozzarella."

Annabel Shackleton, LEAF's Open Farm Sunday manager said: "British farming is a diverse and innovative industry with new crops being introduced each year, so it is understandable consumers don't realise everything our farmers grow. What is alarming though is the number of adults who don't even realise that they are eating British produce when they're tucking into their morning bowl of porridge or their Sunday roast.

"The agricultural industry is worth billions to the British economy, so it is important we know what home grown produce to look out for when we go shopping. Talking to a farmer is a great way to discover more about how your food is produced, so we encourage as many people as possible to visit their local farm for Open Farm Sunday." Endit