Open Farm Weekend with Bank of Ireland is Back!

From left Richard Primrose, Bank of Ireland UK agri-business manager, William and Claire Clark from Craighall Farm in Antrim and John McLenaghan, Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president.

More than 20 working farms from across Northern Ireland will be highlighting the quality, availability and cost effectiveness benefits of buying local, as one of the biggest free awareness initiatives, Open Farm Weekend launches for 2023, with Bank of Ireland confirmed again as title sponsor.

Led by the Ulster Farmers’ Union, organisers are predicting up to 20,000 visitors will attend farms across Father’s Day Weekend, 16-18 June, to enjoy a packed programme of free activities to showcase Northern Ireland food and farming at its best.

Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend will represent all sectors within the farming industry including dairy, beef, lamb, arable, poultry and vegetables, and as all counties have a local farm participating, the public, wherever they live will have the chance to learn more about a real working farm.

Richard Primrose, Bank of Ireland UK Agri-Business Manager, said: “A thriving agri-food industry is vital for communities within Northern Ireland and we’re proud to once again be the title sponsor for Open Farm Weekend and to celebrate and recognise the important contribution the agri-food sector makes to our society and economy. Building on the success of the these past few years, we’re looking forward to farmers having the chance to showcase their farms to the public once again. Being on farm will provide the perfect opportunity to practically illustrate and educate consumers on how our local food is produced and continue to help foster the growth and prosperity of this industry.”

The last number of years saw Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend take on a virtual format, which showcased the event to an audience well beyond Northern Ireland. With this in mind, selected activities on farms will be also streamed live through Open Farm Weekend’s social media channels and www.openfarmweekend.com making it easier than ever to get involved.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union Deputy President, William Irvine added; “We are delighted to be in a position to host Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend on 20+ farms. It’s a challenging time for farmers, but their enthusiasm and hard work never wavers, and we are delighted that the public will get to see this in June. We are indebted to our title sponsor Bank of Ireland whose support has enabled us to deliver an engaging Open Farm Weekend programme of activities across the weekend.

“Our aim with Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is to showcase the outstanding contribution our farms and farm families make in producing the quality food we so often take for granted. Throughout this year’s event we will be highlighting the importance of supporting local, farm diversification and animal welfare, and I encourage everyone to visit our farms, speak to our farm families and really celebrate the wonderful produce available right here in Northern Ireland.”