Agri Aware advocates importance of buying locally

IRELAND’S agri-food educational body, Agri Aware, has launched its December social media campaign ‘What does buying local mean?’ to raise awareness among consumers about the importance of buying locally and supporting Irish farmers and food producers this Christmas.

The campaign aims to celebrate Irish farmers and small businesses across the country by expressing the many benefits of supporting local businesses and buying seasonal products for their festive feasts this Christmas.

The campaign will feature a daily video, up until Christmas Day, from various Agri Aware patron members and agri ambassadors, sharing with consumers what buying locally means to them. The videos aim to tell a collective story that by supporting Irish farmers and small businesses, you are supporting Irish jobs, communities, businesses, and the wider circular economy of Ireland.

The videos will be broadcast across Agri Aware’s social media channels and website. There is also a competition for the public to get involved in the campaign by liking and sharing the videos and using the hashtag #BuyLocalBuyIrish to be in with the chance to win a family pass to Dublin Zoo; visit www.agriaware.ie/buylocal for more information.

Nohoval-based farmer Alan Jagoe, who is chairman of Agri Aware, said in regard to the campaign: ‘Buying local and buying Irish means supporting the farmers, who work tirelessly to produce food for both the 4.8 million people living in Ireland and 50 million across the globe.

‘Money that is spent locally is put back into the communities and wider economies of Ireland, harnessing the magic of the many small towns and villages that make our Irish countryside so unique and homely.’