Tesco are once again supporting Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend which is taking place on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June. The retailer came on board as a sponsor in 2015 confirming their commitment to local produce.
Twenty-three farms have signed up to participate in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend 2016. Some of these farms are direct suppliers of Tesco including Armagh Apple Farm, based outside Portadown.
The farm has been taking part in Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend since the Ulster Farmers’ Union led initiative began in 2012. Run by the Troughton family, the farm are celebrating a decade of business via Armagh Cider Company which makes cider and apple juices.
The farm will be open for free on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June, from 10am to 5pm. Activities each day will include product tasting, a treasure hunt around the orchard and children will also have the opportunity to press their own apples. Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic.
Tesco Marketing Manager NI Caoimhe Mannion said, “We are pleased to continue to sponsor Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend especially given the Year of Food and Drink we are currently celebrating. We encourage our customers to visit their local farms to find out about the farm to fork food journey. We buy over 1,200 lines from more than 90 local suppliers and farmers.
“We wish to congratulate Helen and the team at Armagh Cider Company for a decade in business and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend Chairman and UFU President Barclay Bell said, “We are grateful to Tesco for their continued support of Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend. It is important that the farming industry work together with food retailers not only to provide a market for selling but also to help share the stories of our committed farmers who produce such high quality food.”
Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend is delivered by Ulster Farmers’ Union and is sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK and supported by Tesco, The Prince’s Countryside Fund, NFU Mutual and ASDA. The weekend would not be possible without the help and resources of Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, CAFRE, DEARA, the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association, Food NI and the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.
For more information and to plan your journey, visit the new website www.openfarmweekend.com, follow on Twitter @BOIopenfarm and like Open Farm Weekend on Facebook.
