THE ORGANISERS of the Great Yorkshire Show are staging “countryside days” to educate children about farming and rural life – as a survey reveals some children believe cheese comes from a plant.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) has organised Countryside Days for thousands of primary school pupils in the county, who have been invited to take part in up to 100 practical and interactive workshops covering every aspect of farming, the environment and the countryside.

It comes as survey has revealed many young children are unsure of where their food comes from, with 29 per cent of five to seven-year-olds thinking cheese comes from a plant, not an animal and a quarter of eight to 11-year-olds thinking the same.

The survey, by the British Nutrition Foundation for its Healthy Eating Week, also revealed that one in five infants believe pasta comes from animals and around one in 10 of 11 to 16-year-olds believe tomatoes grow underground.

The survey has provoked calls to ensure schools and families work together to educate children about food and making healthy eating choices.

The free Countryside Days will be taking place on Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14 and are aimed at Key Stage Two children.

It will involve three “shows”; the Sheep Show, Farm Animal Arena and Countryside Arena. There will also be farm animals, machinery, ferret racing, dry stone walling, pond-dipping and cooking.

Charles Mills, show director, said: “Countryside Days are an important part of the society’s work in educating the younger generations about agriculture and farming life and both days are completely funded by the charity.

“Some of the children who come here may never have seen some of the animals or even the sheer scale of the showground and it’s important to teach them about the countryside.”

Held every year, admission to the Countryside Days are on a first come first served basis and are always oversubscribed with waiting lists.

It is also a taster ahead of the Great Yorkshire Show next month which includes a Discovery Zone for children and discounted entry for school groups. On average 5,500 school children come to the Great Yorkshire Show on official school trips.

But the organisation has also called on the Government to relax rules on out-of-school trips for children during term-time.

A recent High Court ruling has tightened rules designed to discourage parents from taking their children on term-time holidays and show organisers fear this could discourage families from bringing their children.

YAS invited Education Secretary Justine Greening and Shadow Education Minister Angela Rayner to this year’s show to highlight the educational benefits of the event and the importance of educating young generations about the importance of farming.

The organisation is also calling for greater flexibility for schools to allow parents to bring their children.

Mr Mills added: “Education is at the heart of the society which is why we run Countryside Days among other school programmes.

“We are also working to make it easier for parents to bring children to the Great Yorkshire Show by urging the Government to relax rules around educational term time trips.”