NFU launches new information packs for schools

Agriculture is to play an enhanced role in the classroom, following the publication of 15,000 specialised teachers’ packs by the NFU as part of its “Why Farming Matters” campaign.
The packs have been designed to counter propaganda put out by organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund, which continues to portray farmers as “uncaring, unkind and unclean”, explained NFU council member and driver of the initiative Guy Smith.
The NFU commissioned FACE (Farming and Countryside Education) to plug what it sees as a gap in the market in information for schools. “It’s important we as an industry present ourselves in the right light,” said Mr Smith.
FACE executive director Bill Graham said that, to succeed, the packs had to provide an educational resource teachers could use as part of the school curriculum. “If it doesn’t do that, then it’s dead in the water. It’s not a question of propaganda, it’s a question of education.” As such the packs, which have cost £100,000 to develop and are available to schools on request, contain a range of materials suitable for primary and secondary classroom use.