AHDB sector councils share plans for levy investment

AHDB’s sector plans are the result of responses provided to sector councils through AHDB’s Shape the Future campaign, which asked levy payers to highlight what work AHDB should carry out on their behalf.

Sector councils have since been meeting during the summer and autumn to make funding decisions based on that feedback.

Priorities will be revealed to all levy payers during the Delivering the Future of Farming online event today (10^th November) – and the full plans are also now available to read on the AHDB website.

The Beef & Lamb Sector Council has refocused activities around three themes to support the overall reputation of the sector:

• Exports (market access, trade shows, international marketing)
• Marketing (We Eat Balanced, education)
• Insight & Evidence (market intelligence, animal health and welfare, environment, genetics).

For Cereals & Oilseeds, work in the following areas will be the sector’s priorities:

• Trusted variety and product testing, including a major review of Recommended Lists
• Independent, practical research and market intelligence, including a need to re-engage farmers in research decisions made by AHDB
• Work across the supply chain, for example the current ongoing work to investigate the potential benefits of introducing a Digital Grain Passport.

Dairy will now refocus activities around three themes:

• Promoting the sectors reputation at home and abroad (consumer advertising, consumer education, reputational defence, exports)
• Practical support for farmers
• Data and evidence to underpin dairy’s reputation (centred on animal health and welfare, environment and genetics/genomics).

For Pork, AHDB’s work will be prioritised on the following:

• Exports, with a focus on identifying lucrative markets and optimising access for all cuts
• Marketing, with the aim of inspiring shoppers to choose pork for both home cooking and eating out
• Reputation, including vital aspects of AHDB’s work on:
  • Education
  • Animal health and welfare
  • The environment
  • Data and evidence.

AHDB’s CEO Tim Rycroft said: “This is an important milestone in our progress towards delivering our promise to put levy payers at the heart of all we do.

“The outcome of the last few months allows us to have a strong understanding of what our farmers and processors believe will benefit them most in terms of the work we do.

“The decisions that have been taken by our sector councils also take into consideration added financial pressures faced by all four sectors, in this difficult economic climate.

“AHDB are looking to continue building on the positive engagement this has produced and the sector councils as well as AHDB’s senior team will be attending many events over the coming months to ensure we talk and listen directly to levy payers.”