Schools offered free farm experience

Budding young farmer and star of The Late Late Toy Show Sheamie Garrihy has joined forces with supermarket retailer Lidl to officially open ‘The Lidl Farm’, welcoming primary schools from County Tipperary to visit for the 2024 school season.

Located at Lidl’s Regional Distribution Centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Lidl was the first Irish retailer to launch a free farm experience where school children can trace the farm to fork story, beginning with the soil, through an outdoor classroom experience.

Since its launch in October 2022, the Lidl Farm has welcomed more than 4,000 school children and 400 teachers from primary schools across the length and breadth of Ireland.

Developed with The Lidl Farm’s official education partner Agri Aware and key supplier Meade Farm, this unique experience set across 8.5 acres of farmland is completely free and provides students with an insight into how many everyday products grown and harvested locally by Lidl’s network of Irish suppliers make their way from the farm to the shelves of their local Lidl store.

Led by Agri Aware’s Education Officers, students participate in a combination of hands-on activities and discussions, seeing first-hand how crops are grown and learning the best practice of livestock farming.

Each educational experience ends with a train ride through Lidl Regional Distribution Centre where students learn about the retailer’s quality check process and how fruit and vegetables are stored to ensure that produce is fresh when it arrives to a Lidl store.

Clare-native Sheamie Garrihy said: “I’ve had a great day at The Lidl Farm in County Kildare. It was interesting to learn about the farm to fork experience, seeing how the vegetables on our plate are planted and harvested on the farm. The Lidl Farm also has cows and sheep throughout the year so students can learn about livestock farming.

“While I’d know my way around a farm, I wouldn’t know how everything is stored in the warehouse and how it gets delivered to Lidl stores so the train ride through the warehouse was a highlight for me. Thanks to Lidl for having me and, when you go to the farm yourself, tell them Sheamie sent you.”

Commenting on the success of The Lidl Farm, Agri Aware Chairman, Shay Galvin said: “The Agri Aware partnership with The Lidl Farm is brimming with positivity for agriculture, giving school children firsthand learning about where their food comes from. More than 4,000 school children have come through The Lidl Farm gates with great enthusiasm, ready to learn about the Farm to Fork experience.

“School tours at The Lidl Farm are completely free, with schools only needing to cover their own transport costs to get there, making this an affordable school trip which has been welcome news for many schools and parents.”

Tours run on The Lidl Farm twice a year - from March to June, and from September to October. To learn more and for schools to register an interest in visiting, please visit thelidlfarm.abettertomorrow-lidl.ie