91 per cent of public more appreciative of farmers thanks to Open Farm Sunday

“Mr Gove made it clear that public access is rightly going to be at the heart of the new direction for farming support post-Brexit and this could not happen at a more important time.”

Ms Shackleton urged farmers to take part this year on June 10 after 84 per cent of 2017 visitors said it had changed the way they thought about farming.

Registration opened in November and so far 55 per cent of farmers registered will be taking part for the first time.

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“The benefits of LEAF Open Farm Sunday are proven and extensive and for farmers it is one of the best possible ways to show the public what you do and to encourage them to support British farming by buying British produce,” Ms Shackleton said.

Ali Capper, who runs Stocks Farm on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border and opened her gates for the first time last year, added: “There is no doubt Leaf Open Farm Sunday is a fantastic way to raise your local profile.

“We had a lot of stimulating discussion and questions around values, prices and costs; visitors genuinely wanted to understand the farm’s relationship with customers.

“Being able to share what we are doing is really rewarding.”

To register for OFS 2018, click here.