ONE organisation represented at the Suffolk Show is the National Farmers' Union, which is offering children a chance to find out where their milk comes from.

Elliot Furniss

ONE organisation represented at the Suffolk Show is the National Farmers' Union, which is offering children a chance to find out where their milk comes from.

The union has a marquee for its members and a “food and farming” roadshow stand aimed at giving children the opportunity to milk a pretend cow and speak to dairy farmers.

Regional NFU spokesman Brian Finnerty said the event was a great chance for local food producers to promote themselves and for members to discuss pressing issues.

With about 10,000 people employed in the agricultural trade in Suffolk, the farming business is one of the biggest employers in the county and Mr Finnerty said it would play a major role in the economic recovery.

He said: “The Show is a chance for our members to talk to the public about food and farming. Farming is one of the industries that hasn't been as badly affected (by the credit crunch) as some of the other industries in Suffolk.

“People still need to eat and agriculture is still there. It is an important part of Suffolk and will play an important part in the recovery - we need to make sure we have a really good, profitable farming industry in place that can help the county as it moves out of the recession.”

He said there was increasing interest in locally-produced and sourced food and drink, which was all too evident in the Show's food hall.

The hall is packed with stands promoting some of Suffolk's top food and drink companies and Mr Finnerty said it was evidence that people were looking for more quality from local suppliers.

He said: “I'm impressed with what I've seen today. All the research shows that there is a growing interest in local food and people really want to know where their food is coming from.”