MORE THAN 700 primary school pupils got hands-on experience at a 'Farm to Fork' event hosted by Scotland’s Rural College at its Oatridge campus in West Lothian.

From interactive workshops about growing plants, to learning about the use of drone technology in land-based industries, the pupils were given an overview of the entire food chain.

The event – organised jointly by SRUC, Developing the Young Workforce West Lothian Regional Group and Lantra Scotland – showcased the range of jobs available across the agricultural sector. The pupils, from 23 local schools, moved between four different zones covering outdoor, interactive, career and food/tasting activities. These included the chance to sit in a tractor cab with GPS technology, pet a lamb and learn about how to extract DNA from strawberries.

SRUC staff also demonstrated thermal and 3D imaging technology and handed out free samples from a pop-up milkshake bar.

Dean of the SRUC Central Faculty David Hopkins said: “We were delighted to host the Farm to Fork event at Oatridge. It is important for children to learn about where food comes from at an early age and it was great to see them enjoying the range of interactive activities on offer.”

Some of Scotland’s leading food and hospitality companies such as Genius, Dawnfresh, Artisan Cheesecakes, Quality Meat Scotland and Norton House participated in the event.

Project manager of Developing the Young Workforce Regional Group, Lauren Brown, said: “There are so many industries involved in producing the food we eat and it is vital that pupils are aware of the diversity of career choices available to them in the land-based, food technology and hospitality sectors.

“It was fantastic to see such a wide range of local employers supporting this year’s Farm to Fork event and investing so much energy and creativity into inspiring West Lothian’s future workforce.”