Australian National Field Days not going ahead in 2020

The Committee of the Australian National Field Days (ANFD) regret to announce that the 2020 event will not proceed in October this year due to COVID-19.

The Australian National Field Days chairman Mr Sam Connell said this was a challenging meeting to come to a result for the Committee. We had hoped to be able to run the event but current Public Health Orders state that mass gatherings can only be a maximum number of 500 people seated and restrictions made organising and planning the event very difficult with the ongoing outbreaks.

“We are very mindful about bringing interstate stakeholders and people from hotspots into the local community. It has become apparent that the Field Days will not be able to go ahead in 2020,” Mr Connell said. “Without a clear path to the end of this pandemic and the full easing of social restrictions, the obstacles to running a successful event were challenging”.

Mrs Jayne West, Manager of the ANFD said “This has been a difficult decision for organisers knowing it would disappoint all our exhibitors, visitors, volunteers, staff, sponsors and community groups who rely on the annual event”.
“The Field Days have never been cancelled for a full three days in their 68 years of operation.
We are devastated for the region and the economic loss it brings to our towns and villages. We thank everyone for their support” she said.

Mrs West said the ANFD is a not for profit organisation and with COVID – 19 and three years of drought which had affected the event and the region, the organisers along with the Association of Agricultural Field Days of Australasia would be lobbying the Government for support to help bring a bigger and better event in 2021.