Arla and AFMP take kids Closer to Nature

Arla is taking kids Closer to Nature as it joins forces with members of Arla Foods Milk Partnership to give school children a taste of life on a farm.

Arla is appealing for AFMP members to get involved with its new initiative, which sees the company teaming up with Farming and Countryside Education (FACE). Arla will support AFMP members through FACE’s nationally recognised accreditation training programme to enable them to host school party visits to their farms and help more children to experience outdoor life and educate them about dairy farming and where milk comes from.

With Arla research revealing that almost a quarter of children rarely or never play outside and that the majority of children spend double the time watching television as they do outdoors, the initiative is fundamental to Arla’s pledge to get Closer to Nature throughout its entire supply chain and, by working with FACE and AFMP, Arla can provide children first hand access to dairy farmers and their operations.

An additional benefit of the scheme is that many schools are making effective use of farm visits as an integral part of their curriculum, as Ash Amirahmadi, Arla’s milk procurement director, explains.

"The Ofsted report on ’Learning outside the classroom’ makes it very clear that an initiaitive such as this contributes to significantly raising standards and achievement, which is directly in line with our commitment to support local communities as well as our Closer to Nature agenda.

"Many children have little knowledge of farming or where milk comes from and partnership members are experts in what they do and meet the most stringent standards of welfare and hygiene, while producing the very best milk.

"Many members are already involved with the general public and schools through Open Farm Sunday, and this initiative will provide members with the opportunity to engage with children year round."

Arla Foods UK plc is home to some of the UK’s leading dairy brands including Cravendale, Lurpak and Anchor. Processing approximately two billion litres of milk a year Arla continues to be one of the UK’s leading dairy companies and a supplier of fresh liquid milk and cream to the top seven retailers.

Over 2,500 daily deliveries are made directly to stores nationwide and Arla brands can be found across the dairy category. As well as the leader of the butter, spreads and margarine sector, and a major supplier of other added value products including flavoured milk and cheese, Arla continues to build working relationships with Arla Foods Milk Partnership, a unique group of dairy farmers, which supplies around 90 per cent of Arla's total milk requirements.

Behind this leading business is a team of circa 2,800 people across the UK located at our dairies, distribution centres and head office.