UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy pictured on his home farm, Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone.
Ulster Farmers’ Union members are taking part in the Farmers Guardian 24 Hours in Farming initiative on 8 – 9 August, using social media to authentically portray farmers as food producers and custodians of the countryside. The annual online event is sponsored by Morrisons, one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains.
UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy (beef and sheep farmer) is one of the UFU representatives taking part alongside poultry and beef farmer Martyn Blair, Finvoy, dairy, beef and sheep farmer Alice Gillespie, Killylea, suckler, sheep, arable and potato farmer Thomas Annett, Newcastle, and dairy and arable farmer Lorraine Killen, Newbuildings.
Commenting Mr Cuddy said, “Farm24 is a brilliant opportunity for every farmer in the UK to come together via social media, and showcase the very best of our agriculture industry. We have a great story to tell and sharing a day behind the farm gate digitally, has many benefits. Online platforms allow us to be transparent and have no limits in terms of their reach, meaning we can speak directly to the public at a local, national and international level.
“In the busyness of our own daily bubbles, it’s easy to become oblivious to food production, and how farmers work with nature to produce nutritious food. We walk into our local shops and are spoilt with beautiful displays of food sitting neatly on shelves, and often we don’t fully grasp how it got there, but Farm24 can help us improve this. We are privileged to have such a unique family farm structure in NI and a thriving agri-food industry, and recognising this as a nation is key to protecting it.
On the day of Farm24, UFU members are aiming to give an honest portrayal of local, sustainable farming and food production, representing farmers across NI. We are world leaders in food safety, animal welfare and environmental standards, and are continually working to do more to meet the growing demand for food while also tackling climate change.
“I encourage everyone to get behind this initiative and together, we can help to strengthen the connection with our consumers, raising more awareness of how the food we eat daily, starts on local, family farms.”
