There's lots the industry and FW can do to put farming on the front foot with the media and in the eyes of the public.
I really liked the way poultry producer and NFU sector spokesman Charles Bourns wrote a confident piece for The Mail on Sunday yesterday challenging Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. This is exactly what we should be doing - coming forward, talking positively and openly, informing consumers. LEAF's Farm Sunday initiative is another great way of educating and enthusing the public, and school visits on farm are to be encouraged. We know there are an awful lot of businesses out there keen to open their gates and be subjected to public scrutiny. The Farmers Weekly Kids Connect Campaign prompted another 1200 farms to sign up to school visits last year, which is a great start for this Year of Food and Farming.
And there's more we can do at Farmers Weekly. The team has been working hard in the last couple of years sending out press releases on key themes that impact farmers and commentating to the national papers, radio and television. I recently took part in a Sky tv debate with Jonathan Dimbleby on the issues for farmers in 2008 and our livestock editor, Jonathan Long, has been particularly active on tv with blue tongue and foot and mouth.
We will be using the magazine and website to give practical advice to farmers when dealing with the media and there will be more campaigns, like Food Miles and Kids Connect, to link the industry with consumers more. I try to be quite hands on in this respect when presenting to local farmer groups. Tomorrow night, I've been invited to speak at a meeting of The Mardlers, near Wymondham, Norfolk and will partly use the occasion to encourage farmers to raise their profile and project more optimism.
I believe that as farmers if we do not show we have confidence in ourselves and our future, then why should we expect the public to believe in us. This means accepting that the way we communicate as an industry needs a massive overhaul. What do you think?