Farm shops have boomed over the past decades thanks to a growing middle-class who have become wary of big retailers and food safety scares.
Farm shop numbers have increased from just 1,200 of the independent retailers in 2004 to around 3,500 today. They are now the fastest growing part of the meat-selling industry, the Guild of Butchers has said.
Growing tastes for local, quality produce is thought to have helped turn shoppers away from supermarket chains.
Four in ten Brits (39 per cent) have been to a farm shop in the past 12 months and 47 per cent intend to visit one in the future, said a poll of 2,000 shoppers for the AHDB.
The egg poison scare, the horse meat scandal and the recent dilemma with 2 Sisters Group over repackaged chicken are examples of food safety scares which have moved the middle-classes away to local food providers.
Consumers in the south east and south west of England are the most likely to go to farm shops - 48 per cent from each region have visited in the past year, compared to just 26 per cent from the north east.
Michael Richardson, of the AHDB, said: "Consumers are increasingly looking for reassurance on the provenance and quality of what they buy and that it has come from somewhere as local as possible.
"Farm shops and independent butchers offer that."
It is not just about meat, he added: "As soon as you enter a farm shop, it offers an array of products that complement the meat offering.
"They are also attracting younger shoppers by offering a meal solution to suit the needs of today's busy lifestyle."
