AHDB winds down potato work following levy vote
T
he Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is winding down the activity it undertakes on behalf of the horticulture and po- tato sectors.
It follows votes to abolish the com- pulsory levies which fund AHDB ac- tivities across both sectors. The gov- ernment has pledged to honour the outcome of the vote – which means growers will eventually no longer have to pay the levy. The AHDB said it wanted to reas- sure farmers that their views had been heard following the two ballots – al- though the levy board was still await- ing a decision on its future by govern- ment ministers in England, Scotland and Wales.
AHDB acting chief executive Ken
Boyns said the organisation was now stopping programmes of work that could be restarted in the future by grower associations, individual grow- ers or the supply chain. This includes stopping work on ex-
port market access, trade missions and promotions overseas; ending its con- sumer marketing campaigns; and call- ing a halt to market pricing and in- sight information. Mr Boyns said the AHDB would continue to deliver limited emergen- cy work on pests and diseases – includ- ing the Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMUs) and some con- tracted research work. This work would be difficult to re- start and would be detrimental to the industry to stop while the AHDB awaited a managed transition or a dif- ferent funding mechanism to ensure EAMU work was able to continue. Mr Boyns urged levy payers to be
patient in this period of transition. He said: “We are taking a responsible ap- proach in winding-down our work pro- grammes for the horticulture and po- tato sectors.
“In addition we have to recog- nise operational liabilities associat- ed with contracts, people and assets.
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voted to abolish the potato levy
This means that some level of levy will be needed in 2021 to supplement sec- tor reserves to cover these costs as we manage the change.” The AHDB was legally obliged to collect a levy until parliament amend- ed the legislation, said Mr Boyns. Some 140 staff are expected to be made re- dundant and it would take time to im- plement those changes.
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adam@farmlinc.co.uk www.farmlinc.co.uk JULY 2021 • MIDLAND FARMER 17
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