A WEST Devon Farm is among those backing Farm Animal Week, a campaign to get people thinking more about the food they eat and where it comes from. Farm Animal Week began on Monday and is being run for the second year by the RSPCA?s farm animal welfare food labelling scheme, Freedom Food. North Wyke Farm, set in 600 acres of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research near Okehampton, is one of 476 members of Freedom Food based in Devon ? more than any other county in the country. In total, Freedom Food has more than 2,000 members signed up to its food labelling scheme, a mixture of egg, poultry, dairy, beef, pig and sheep producers. There are also abattoirs, processors and hauliers who are members of Freedom Food. While the Institute leads the way in advancing understanding of interactions between animals, soils, plants and the wider environment, operations manager Colin Lethbridge runs a successful farming business with 450 head of cattle and 1,250 sheep. All are bred to meet or exceed the welfare standards laid down by the RSPCA and backed by the Freedom Food scheme. ?Being part of the Freedom Food scheme shows our commitment to the best possible welfare standards,? says Colin. ?The standards enable me and my team of four to perform consistently well. We know exactly what is expected of us and our responsibilities are clear. I believe that welfare improvements help animal behaviour hand-in-hand with good husbandry.? North Wyke Farm is also committed to spreading the word to the next generation of producers and consumers, hosting up to 30 groups of children from schools each year. Investment on the farm is also a commitment, with huge new sheds for lambing and winter keeping, constructed in recent months. Investment in the animals and their welfare is set to reap benefits in the coming years. In the future, Colin says, the farm will be at the forefront of environmental farming, finding the right balance between commercial success and high welfare and environmental standards. ?Freedom Food?s involvement will certainly help us to achieve those goals,? said Colin. The RSPCA?s Freedom Food scheme is a non-profit making charity, with only one aim ? to encourage improvements in welfare standards for farm animals. Farms like North Wyke are subject to a vigorous inspection regime and are subject to random spot-checks by RSPCA farm livestock officers.