A new survey has shown worrying levels of basic knowledge about agriculture, with students believing yogurt is a plant product and cotton socks come from animals.
The survey, commissioned by the Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEF) and undertaken by the Australian Council of Educational Research with the support of Woolworths, reveals that 75 per cent of students in year six thought cotton socks were an animal product, while 27 per cent said they thought yogurt was a plant product.
"This survey is a wake-up call to government, industry and educators and comes at a time when the Primary Industries are being excluded from the national curriculum," PIEF Chair, Cameron Archer said.
"The Primary Industries sectors face a critical shortage in attracting new entrants at all levels of the supply chain. This will have serious implications in the next five to ten years as we begin to understand the implications that an ill-informed public, climate variability and the skills shortage will have on Australia's ability to feed 70 million people here and abroad," said Dr Archer.
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