Learn about the three different milking parlous: herringbone, rotary and robotic.

Sophisticated technology is used to help ensure the welfare of cows and the quality milk. A variety of technology is used on the farm using computers to monitor the cows, activity collars and feed distribution.

Slurry is a mixture of cow manure and the water used to wash out the cow shed. The slurry lagoon or store will hold the mixture for up to six months until it is needed to be spread onto the land to help crops grow.

Most dairy cows graze outdoors during the summer and are housed in sheds in the winter to protect the animals.

A dairy farmer explains the free stalls system used on his farm.

Mr Valdez takes the class on a dairy farm visit. They meet Mrs Jenkins, the farmer, and learn about how milk is produced. This is one of six stories which forms a new resource to support cross-curricular/inter-disciplinary learning for primary schools in the UK. Teachers’ notes, worksheets and interactive whiteboard activities are also available to support the story. The resource is brought to you from www.foodafactoflife.org.uk.

Learn how fish is processed in this short video. This fish is going to be washed. Washing the fish will remove the slimy, slipperiness from the skin before it is prepared. The fish travels up the conveyor belt to the water. After it has been washed, it will be filleted. This fish is called plaice. Plaice is a type of flat fish. When fish is filleted, the parts that are good to eat are kept and the rest will be thrown away. These people are experts at filleting fish. Look how quickly they can work. They can fillet thousands of fish a day. Such a large number of fish are not needed all at once so some of the fish will be frozen. These people are putting the fillets of fish onto a large roller. The roller takes the fish into a big deep freezer. The fish is frozen solid very quickly. Now the fish is frozen, it can be kept like this for several weeks if necessary, until the factory needs it for the next process. It may also be sold like this, ready for someone to defrost and cook at home. These people are sorting out pieces of frozen haddock. The haddock is going to be coated in bread crumbs and then fried. First the haddock is coated with batter. Then it is covered in bread crumbs. Finally, the fish is cooked. The fish pieces are then frozen. All this fish is frozen solid. The fish is packed into bags and weighted to make sure customers get the right amount. The last stage is to pack the fish into boxes. The boxes are then taken away to be sealed and put in cartons. These are boxes of cod. Every box gets stamped with a best before date.

In this video you will see chickens being reared to lay eggs. This is the beginning of the production of chicken for restaurants, shops and supermarkets. Chicken production begins at a rearing farm. The rearing farm produces a healthy flock of birds to lay eggs which will be sent to a hatchery. A range of breeds are reared on the farm. One day old chicks are brought to the farm and are fed a special diet, along with water. The birds are weighed regularly to keep an eye on their health. The birds are also given medicine to protect them from diseases.The health and welfare of the chickens is very important to the farmer. To keep the chickens healthy the workers wear protective clothing, change and clean their boots and clean their hands. The birds and the equipment are checked at least three times a day to make sure the chickens are being kept in good conditions. Suitable for children aged 8-11 years of age.

Approximately 5 million chickens are farmed each week for restaurants, shops and supermarkets. The chickens live in large sheds. One day old chicks are placed onto the shed floor, on a bedding of wood shavings and straw. These chicks are free to move about in the sheds and have access to plenty of food and water. Fans bring fresh air into the poultry sheds. Many chicken sheds offer natural day light and perching bales. The chickens are grown to different weights from 1.75kg and 2.4kg taking between 33 and 41 days to grow. he farmer will work with a veterinarian to help look after the health of the chickens. An animal nutritionist also provides the farmer with advice about how to provide the right diet for the chickens.

5 1/2 million chicks can be hatched each week at the Hatchery. On delivery, the eggs are moved into the hatchery egg room where they are stored at 18°C. The eggs are loaded into the setters where the chick inside the egg will be able to grow. The eggs are held at 37.5°C and regularly turned. The temperature around the eggs is closely monitored by computers. Eggs are removed from the setters 18 days later and transferred to the hatching trays. The hatching trays are put into an area called the hatchers for three days. After 21 days the chicks hatch out of their shells. The chicks are sorted by hand into different sizes and they are checked to ensure they are healthy. They are counted into chick boxes which are then taken through a spray cabinet where they are sprayed with medicine to protect the chicks from diseases. The chicks are then transported to farms where they will continue to grow.

In this video you will see pullets, or young chickens, laying eggs which are carefully selected, stored and then transported. This is the second stage in the production of chicken for restaurants, shops and supermarkets. Suitable for children aged 8-11 years of age.

A video looking at front of pack and traffic light labelling.

A short video looking at where food comes from.

A short video looking at where food comes from.

A short video looking at where food comes from.

A series of remote learning activities looking at the topic of where food comes from.