AHDB to outline five-year spending plan at November meeting
© Tim Scrivener The AHDB will set out its five-year spending plan to levy payers at a major strategy meeting in November.
Sector councils will outline the new priorities for Beef & Lamb, Cereals & Oilseeds, Dairy and Pork during the “Delivering the Future of Farming” online event on 10 November.
Levy payers will be given time to ask questions about each of the new key areas of work.
See also: Future of AHDB levy spending – what two farmers think
Councils will explain how the results of the “Shape the Future” consultation will influence their spending plans.
The consultation gave levy payers across the different sectors the chance to tell the AHDB what it should focus on to benefit businesses.
The results showed that reputation scored highly across the livestock sectors, while for cereals and oilseeds producers research and market insight has been identified as a major priority.
As well as the levy payer feedback, sector councils have also considered various financial constraints, including rising inflation, a change to the AHDB’s VAT status, and changes in levy income, when identifying the main areas of work.
Last year, the AHDB was rocked by the decision of the horticulture and potato sectors to scrap their levies, with payers voicing concern over how their money was being spent.
AHDB chief executive Tim Rycroft said: “Thousands of levy payers had a say in Shape the Future. Now we are taking the next step in delivering our promise to put levy payers at the heart of everything we do.
“This event will be a chance for levy payers to hear from their own sector council representatives on the work that will be prioritised by AHDB.”
Levy payers can register to join the online event. Sector-specific breakout sessions will allow levy payers to ask questions and hear the full detail of the spending plans.
Scottish farmers plan Holyrood rally
Scottish farmers are demanding that their government puts food production, crofting and farming at the heart of the proposed Agriculture Bill, following concerns over a lack of detail about how the new powers will be used.
NFU Scotland (NFUS) is organising a rally outside the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh on Wednesday 2 November, from 12-2pm.
NFUS president Martin Kennedy said: “It remains hugely frustrating that despite several requests from NFU Scotland and other stakeholders, we’ve yet to receive clarity as to how any new powers created by the proposed new Agriculture Bill will put food production at the heart of delivering all the economic, social and environmental benefits that active agricultural businesses will be asked to deliver.”
Mr Kennedy said the new powers must be used to target future direct support at active farming and crofting, to provide stability following Brexit and throughout the cost-of-living crisis, and to reward farmers for improving productivity.
NFUS held a webinar last week to explain its priorities for future policy and air its concerns.