News article, 29. September 2022

Farmers open up their farms

Danish farmers regularly open their farms to the public, including special events like Åbent Landbrug and Sofari, offering people a glimpse into modern farming.

Photo: Danish Agriculture & Food Council

Danish farmers enjoy opening up their farms to the general public, both for special events and on an ongoing basis. It is also important for farmers and food companies in Denmark that the public are able to view livestock and to see what a modern farm looks like. Among the special events are the annual open farm days known as Åbent Landbrug (Open Farm) which is for all types of farming. There is also an event known as Sofari (a play on the Danish word for sow (so) and safari) which is organised by outdoor pig producers. Both Åbent Landbrug and Sofari will be held this autumn.

Open Farm is an open-house event, where more than 80 farms open up their gates to give curious visitors the opportunity to see what farm life is like and gain an insight into production. As all animals from Danish farms are represented at the event – pigs, cows, hens, sheep or goats - all visitors are guaranteed to have their curiosity satisfied.

For the farmers themselves, face-to-face interaction is important and the open-house events enable them to answer all the questions that visitors might put to them.

The Sofari event is another good example of Danish farmers’ wish to achieve transparent food production. The name conjures up images of adventure travellers exploring animal life. Like Open Farm, Sofari is an annual event at which organic farms offer interested consumers the chance to view organic production at close hand. As the programmes are set by the farms’ themselves, they include tours of the farrowing units, tastings of the farm’s production, activities aimed at adults and children as well as educational and exciting competitions.

In total, no fewer than 100,000 Danes visit a farm as part of the two open house events. During the Covid lockdown, it was still possible for visitors to visit a farm: a Doodle 1:1 was required so that tours could take place in small groups.

Showcasing animal welfare and animal well-being on a day-to-day basis has always been a crucial part of the open house events because not all consumers have an up-to-date picture of how much is being done on a modern farm to ensure that animals are fit and healthy. In recent years, consumers have also been curious about farmers’ efforts to reduce their farms’ carbon footprint. In this respect, the agricultural sector has done much to show how resource consumption is kept under control and what steps are taken to make production more sustainable and the carbon footprint lower.