Opinion: AHDB brings direct and indirect benefits to dairying
© Tim Scrivener This spring will mark my third year as an AHDB Dairy Sector Council member.
Much has changed since I started, and coronavirus has also shaped the experience, with a dramatically reduced programme of on-farm events and many meetings conducted via Teams.
AHDB has also had a turbulent time. The Defra-mandated Request for Views delivered a lukewarm response and highlighted the need for better communication with levy payers, and a more agile and accountable organisation.
This was followed by ballots from the horticulture and potato sectors, which resulted in their operations being wound down.
See also: TFA calls for yes-no ballot in AHDB spring consultation
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We have also had a new chairman, Nicholas Saphir, and a new chief executive, Tim Rycroft, who are working extremely hard to ensure the organisation is effective, accountable and delivering excellent value for money.
This spring, farmers will get their chance to have a say on the levy through the Shape the Future Vote.
I’d like to encourage all eligible farmers to register to vote so that their voice is heard and to ensure AHDB reflects their business needs.
Last year my business paid approximately £1,500 in levy. As a figure, it’s not insubstantial, especially at a time when margins are squeezed by rapidly escalating costs.
But when I reflected on what I got in return, I realised there is literally nowhere else I could get the same value or range of services.
My husband participated in a professional management training course which could easily have cost £1,500 alone.
We attended on-farm events (when Covid restrictions permitted), hosted an AHDB discussion group on our farm which provided invaluable feedback on our new business setup, and heard numerous webinars and podcasts, which are also invaluable training tools for our team.
We used the Recommended Grass and Clover List when buying grass seed, and referred to genetic evaluations when ordering our semen.
I used online tools to analyse our mastitis incidence, the Slurry Wizard to calculate slurry storage requirements, and the KPI Express tool for benchmarking. Those are just the things that had a direct impact on my business.
More broadly, there is the work AHDB does to protect and promote the reputation of dairy both at home and abroad.
It is at the forefront of challenging misinformation about dairy, successfully forcing companies such as Oatly and Quorn, media outlets including the BBC, The Independent and Blue Peter, and organisations such as the Vegan Society and Surge Activism, to correct misleading claims.
This month, AHDB’s £3.5m We Eat Balanced campaign returns to screens, including a TV advert.
The first incarnation of the campaign was seen more than 5.5 million times across social media, and resulted in 9% more people thinking British beef, lamb and pork was produced sustainably and 13% more people thinking the British dairy industry has high production values.
The campaign builds on the momentum from previous successful campaigns such as Milk Your Moments, which promoted dairy during the abrupt closure of food service and hospitality markets during the first lockdown.
Not everything AHDB does is perfect, but as we enter a year in which production costs are spiralling, the loss of BPS is nearing and we face tougher legislation to meet environmental and climate change targets, we need a trusted source of independent information and resources more than ever.
The Shape the Future Vote is your opportunity to tell AHDB what is important to your business, and what changes you would like to see.