26 Jan Families Delve into stories about food and farmers at the Royal Easter Show

Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson today encouraged families to pick up a copy of Delve at the Easter Show to find out where their food comes from.

While touring the Sydney Royal Easter Show today, Ms Hodgkinson said Delve, which is produced by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), showcases stories about farmers and food and fibre industries and is designed to create awareness about NSW’s vibrant rural sector.

“Not only does Delve explain how DPI supports primary industries and our natural resource base, it highlights the important role these products play in our everyday lives,” Ms Hodgkinson.

“Delve’s theme of ‘Our Farming Future’ reflects this year’s Australian Year of the Farmer and gives families and students an excellent resource to learn exactly how their food gets from paddock to plate.

Ms Hodgkinson said a recent study of Australian students indicated both student and teacher knowledge of food and fibre production was still very low.

The survey of grade 6 and 10 students from more than 70 Australian schools found that 45 per cent could not identify that lunch items like bananas, bread or cheese came from farms.

“Our farming sector here in NSW not only produces world quality foods – it also employs tens thousands of people and injects millions into our economy every year.

“This lack of knowledge is concerning but it highlights why it is important to bridge the gap between our city and country families and the Easter Show is a perfect starting point,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“The annual Easter Show is an excellent example of an event where city and country families come together to celebrate the best produce this State has to offer and I urge visitors to make their show experience both entertaining and educational.”

Ms Hodgkinson said day one was also Schools Day, and encouraged students to develop their food knowledge by picking up a copy of Delve from the DPI stand in the Fresh Food Dome, and checking out the District Exhibits and the Schools District Exhibits, supported by LandLearn NSW.

For more information about NSW DPI, Delve or LandLearn NSW see
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au