SCHOOL children can now learn about dairy farming by taking a virtual tour of the milking parlour thanks to a new interactive CD filmed in North Lancashire.

The Friesian to Fridge Virtual Tour CD Rom has been launched at Myerscough College, near Preston, as an educational tool for Key Stage One and Two to offer an insight into how dairy products get from the milking shed to the breakfast table.

The CD was financed by Government North West and is designed to contribute to the delivery of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food in the North West.

It was filmed at Brades Dairy Farm, Farleton, and is a step-by-step guide to the processes involved in running the farm including milking, processing and bottling.

John Towers of Brades Dairy Farm hopes the CD will give children more awareness of the farming industry and where food actually comes from.

"We were keen to get young people interested in milk and what happens to it. It is a good idea to show children that milk doesn't just come from supermarkets."

The CD also includes interviews with farmers and producers to explain the manufacture of dairy foods to consumers.

The launch was attended by school children from across the North West who were given a demonstration of the CD and then taken on a tour around the college's farm.

The CD is being made available to schools free of charge and it is hoped that it will encourage teachers and pupils to visit farms as part of their teaching plans and may even tempt new recruits into the industry.