Ask AHDB – Cereals and Oilseeds Levy Increase Proposals

[TFF]

AHDB’s Cereals and Oilseeds Sector Council would like your questions about proposals to improve services and deliver more by increasing levy rates from the start of the 2024/25 financial year.

Sector Chair Tom Clarke will be taking part in a Q and A session, responding to questions from levy payers, at AHDB’s ‘Funding Your Future’ livestream event on 9 November.

Tom is a fourth-generation fenland farmer growing around 180Ha of winter and spring milling wheat, along with 40Ha of linseed for seed. He also grows spring oats as part of his rotation. Tom has been on the NFU Sugar Board since 2018.

You can find out details of the proposals for the Cereals and Oilseeds Sector here: Funding Your Future 2023 – Cereals & Oilseeds | AHDB

The Sector Council are proposing an increase in levy rates to:

• Increase independent research
• Improve services such as Recommended Lists and RB209
• Increase farmer-to-farmer learning through Strategic Farms
• Set ground rules for developing carbon and biodiversity markets
• Provide impartial analysis to earn recognition for environmental progress across the industry
• Test and assess the impact of a wider range of products, such as bio-stimulants

The Cereals and Oilseeds Live Q and A session will start at 10:00 GMT on 9 November. Any questions not responded to on the day will be answered after the event and shared in this thread.

 

[Wheatonrotty]

Have you been actively looking at routes to market that don't include red tractor, i.e. self declaration of production to legal standards or adoption of alternative assurance standards (N Irish for example)?

 

[Flat 10]

Why aren't new varieties only added when they bring significant improvements? I propose at the very minimum greater than the LSD for yield. There is too much churn on the list.

 

[BigBarl]

At present I can only see 6 growers on the cereals and oilseeds council directing where levy is spent. That’s way less than 1% of all levy payers represented. Could a system be implemented to have a vote on all future projects before getting funding granted so each individual levy payer can have their say? A simple email explaining the project/ trial etc and a vote of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with a minimum of 50% vote turnout across the sector. It would take seconds out of an individual levy payers day but provide a much better overview of the industry priorities as a whole.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Could AHDB provide a method for growers to demonstrate REDII compliance?

 

[Clive]

What plans does AHDB have to increase the democracy of council decisions ? should it run simple levy payer polls on issues ?

 

[homefarm]

Could the AHDB introduce a basic declaration on the passport type assurance to counter the unfair contributions to RT which disadvantaged your non assured levy payers?

Would solving the assurance issue not be the best use of levy payers money.

 

[Flat 10]

Can we have a simple democracy? I suggest along the lines of Nfu sugar? Just need 2 nominations by other levy payers to be put on the ballot. Then 1 member 1 vote.

 

[Terrier]

85% of the AHDB funding comes from farmers. How many of these want digital grain passports, what will be the cost of this, how much of it will be paid by farmers and what will be the payback of this initiative to growers in pounds spent to pounds returned ?

 

[ploughman1963]

Why should I and other UK farmers vote to increase the levies, or even continue with them, in light of the revelation that AHDB representatives voted in favour of the Red Tractor 'Green Module' at the board meeting when it obviously favours the interests of the British Retail Consortium rather than UK farmers?

 

[ploughman1963]

Do you support the current calls from UK farmers for changes to the way UK grains and oilseeds are unfairly disadvantaged by having to meet the costs of assurance which imported grains do not have to comply with and will you help UK farmers by working towards setting up a framework whereby UK grain and oilseeds will have access to UK feed mills/grain merchants on the same basis as imported grains and oilseeds?

 

[ploughman1963]

Will you support and work towards an alternative assurance scheme for UK farm produce to compete with Red Tractor as this clearly falls within your remit to find new ways to promote UK produce?
AHDB funded Red Tractor with considerable sums (£240,000) per year for several (over 10?) years, which one of your representatives described to me as 'help with start up costs', until they were withdrawn under pressure from the British Farming Union. Will you therefore fund 'start up costs' for an alternative assurance scheme to Red Tractor to ensure that there is competition in the best interests of UK producers and to prevent unnecessary over regulation of the Red Tractor scheme which unfairly favours the interests of the British Retail Consortium?

 

[BBE]

I value the work AHDB do to guide efficiency and productivity but ultimately my ability to maintain a positive margin is dictated by the price at which I can sell.

Q. With so much political pressure to control food price inflation what will you do to ensure I receive a higher price for the goods I produce? (and the occasional advert doesn't cut it!)

In the most basic terms, if you want more money, get us more money!

 

[melted welly]

To whose benefit is it to publish the annual planted area and harvest tonnage reports for free access?

As a levy payer I would prefer that information to remain private for the benefit solely of those who contribute the information, in order to give US a benefit, not broadcast/given away to the very marketplaces we’re selling to.

 

[MrNoo]

Why does Tom Clark think that the difference in price between unassured cereals and world market price is the magic "premium" that RT talk of??? World market price minus for being unassured is not a "premium" no matter how you dress it up. Indeed he found it funny when I mentioned this on this forum.

 

[MrNoo]

Why are AHDB not finding a market for unassured grains?? It seems between them and RT/AIC unassured outlets are diminishing rapidly. It's certainly harder finding an unassured market for my crops that it was 5 years ago.

 

[Grass And Grain]

If there's to be a digital passport, will it be able to hold quality data for which we may get paid, e.g. protein, moisture, HFN, bushel?

Following on from this, as there are price penalties for low bushel, which suggest bushel is a parameter of value, can AHDB negotiate with processors to provide price premiums for higher bushel weights? i.e. quality marks/systems to add value.

 

[graham mc]

why are we still drying cereals to 15% wen 16 was fine previously, think of the extra carbon that could be given away by doing this

 

[Hesstondriver]

I value the work AHDB do to guide efficiency and productivity but ultimately my ability to maintain a positive margin is dictated by the price at which I can sell.

Q. With so much political pressure to control food price inflation what will you do to ensure I receive a higher price for the goods I produce? (and the occasional advert doesn't cut it!)

In the most basic terms, if you want more money, get us more money!

To add to this question , if you cant get more £ for the selling price, then you must work to reduce farm costs to try and maintain positive profit margin. Removing Red Tape would be one easy win.

 

[SilliamWhale]

How much of current levy funding goes to pay pensions? And what is the projection on this?

 

[Annie]

AHDB's Cereals & Oilseeds levy proposal Q & A session is now LIVE. Watch here on The Farming Forum.