The tour forms part of the ongoing education drive aimed at better informing the public about how meat chickens are farmed.

Dr Andreas Dubs, Executive Director of the ACMF explained: “Our tours, arranged two to three times a year, are designed to give attendees such as journalists, nutritionists, bloggers, and teachers, a first-hand experience of the processes involved in getting chicken from the farm to the plate and to speak with a range of experts from the industry. We also aim to address a lot of commonly held misconceptions on the day.”

Those on the half-day tour will experience first hand what it is like inside a chicken shed, hear from the farmer about his role in raising and caring for his chickens and learn more about issues of importance to the industry such as animal welfare, food safety and environmental impacts.

Dr Dubs continued: “Biosecurity is extremely important. The health and well-being of the birds at the farm depends on it. All attendees are required to wear protective clothing, disinfect shoes in a footbath and wash hands before entering the sheds on the farm.

“Logistics of hosting such a tour takes careful planning, to ensure all biosecurity requirements are adhered too, but we believe the tour is an important step in educating the public more broadly about industry farming practices.”

Following the farm tour, attendees enjoyed brunch at The Springs in Peats Ridge with the opportunity to talk further with the farmer, Inghams NSW Farming Manager, Inghams Veterinarian as well as representatives from the ACMF.

“The industry continues to proactively tell its story, and set the facts straight. The opportunity to host these tours and be transparent about what happens on the farm is invaluable,” added Dr Dubs.