Digital Combinable Crop passports

[Clive]

This seems to have slipped under the radar but if you have anything to say about digital passports then AHDB have consultation open now

https://www.farminguk.com/news/cons...al-grain-passport-to-soon-commence_63682.html

 

[Rnold]

We should not be too helpful in allowing this to happen while we have all these other issues ongoing with these industry bodies such as Red tractor. The digital passport may allow the trade to introduce other levels of complexity at will. Once in place it will be easy to add to and therefore requirements may increase and it will be difficult stop mission creep. Paper works to convey the message . Digital will allow another control mechanism.

 

[Clive]

could it also maybe offer a no cost assurance solution though ? ie a declaration of production to statutory legal standards

in a digital world surely digital solutions are inevitable ?

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

[email protected].

Is the email address to send your feedback to.

 

[milkloss]

We should not be too helpful in allowing this to happen while we have all these other issues ongoing with these industry bodies such as Red tractor. The digital passport may allow the trade to introduce other levels of complexity at will. Once in place it will be easy to add to and therefore requirements may increase and it will be difficult stop mission creep. Paper works to convey the message . Digital will allow another control mechanism.

Agree with this wholeheartedly.

could it also maybe offer a no cost assurance solution though ? ie a declaration of production to statutory legal standards

in a digital world surely digital solutions are inevitable ?

yes, but the chances of it happening are pretty much zero imo.

 

[Rnold]

It is important not to loose control by thinking this is just a paper replacement. I like digital but also understand how it may be used once in place. A lot of these schemes start as one thing and then develop to our cost.

 

[Bald Rick]

@Steevo …. Thanks for the heads up re old thread title.

Have edited it for clarity.
One just can’t get the staff these days

 

[Flat 10]

I have just waded through the business case (57pages) very underwhelmed. See it as "mission creep" myself. £500k development cost and circa £400k pa running costs to be funded by ahdb as far as I could make out. Only grower representation NFU and NFUS. After the RT debacle have zero trust in them representing me. Kept going on about benefits for traceability to the foodchain but when there is so much imported untraceable unassured grain mixed in that rather struck me as futile. There is also a big deal made about how it can prevent rejections and an oft quoted example in the business case is a rejection cost of £1760/load for ergot. Can someone please explain how a digital passport is going to stop ergot rejections? Its not like they don't ring you straight away anyway. I guess it might be marginally quicker and save the odd extra load being sent but its hardly going to revolutionise things. Or am I missing the point?
whole thing smacks (as usual) of AIC getting the farmers to pay for something that they want. I filled in the consultation document (which is not easy to find) on the ahdb website. Please do engage, the more farmer responses the better imo.
Does the BFU have a position @Grass And Grain

 

[EJS]

Digital Passport industry communications | AHDB

Latest industry communications for the Digital Grain Passport

ahdb.org.uk

 

[SilliamWhale]

It is important not to loose control by thinking this is just a paper replacement. I like digital but also understand how it may be used once in place. A lot of these schemes start as one thing and then develop to our cost.

I have just waded through the business case (57pages) very underwhelmed. See it as "mission creep" myself. £500k development cost and circa £400k pa running costs to be funded by ahdb as far as I could make out. Only grower representation NFU and NFUS. After the RT debacle have zero trust in them representing me. Kept going on about benefits for traceability to the foodchain but when there is so much imported untraceable unassured grain mixed in that rather struck me as futile. There is also a big deal made about how it can prevent rejections and an oft quoted example in the business case is a rejection cost of £1760/load for ergot. Can someone please explain how a digital passport is going to stop ergot rejections? Its not like they don't ring you straight away anyway. I guess it might be marginally quicker and save the odd extra load being sent but its hardly going to revolutionise things. Or am I missing the point?
whole thing smacks (as usual) of AIC getting the farmers to pay for something that they want. I filled in the consultation document (which is not easy to find) on the ahdb website. Please do engage, the more farmer responses the better imo.
Does the BFU have a position @Grass And Grain

Whats the business case for farmers? I would rather print a piece of paper out and sign it than allow those further up the chain too much control. Does the milk tanker have a passport with every load collected?

I say no

 

[Rnold]

I have just waded through the business case (57pages) very underwhelmed. See it as "mission creep" myself. £500k development cost and circa £400k pa running costs to be funded by ahdb as far as I could make out. Only grower representation NFU and NFUS. After the RT debacle have zero trust in them representing me. Kept going on about benefits for traceability to the foodchain but when there is so much imported untraceable unassured grain mixed in that rather struck me as futile. There is also a big deal made about how it can prevent rejections and an oft quoted example in the business case is a rejection cost of £1760/load for ergot. Can someone please explain how a digital passport is going to stop ergot rejections? Its not like they don't ring you straight away anyway. I guess it might be marginally quicker and save the odd extra load being sent but its hardly going to revolutionise things. Or am I missing the point?
whole thing smacks (as usual) of AIC getting the farmers to pay for something that they want. I filled in the consultation document (which is not easy to find) on the ahdb website. Please do engage, the more farmer responses the better imo.
Does the BFU have a position @Grass And Grain

I think your assessment is correct. I was asked to take part in trials about five or six years ago. Maybe more. It was time consuming compared to paper. You needed access to the office to fill out the passport so no leaving it to one of the chaps on the yard to load and fill out the form. The lorry drivers had to be issued with a smart phones as these where not the norm back then. Drivers needed training. Phone signal was another issue as code numbers had to be exchanged. Oh and if you are somewhere else and the lorry turns up out of the blue ,that did not work either ,even if you had someone to load.
I know time has moved on and some of the issues will have been ironed out but I am still not convinced.
As for digital feedback from the merchant. one firm does send a text confirming the quality, the time tipped and they say Thank you! So this can be done without us paying.

 

[Flat 10]

Whats the business case for farmers? I would rather print a piece of paper out and sign it than allow those further up the chain too much control. Does the milk tanker have a passport with every load collected?

I say no

That’s what I mean. Business case for farmers was ropey at best imo and we were being asked to pay as normal

 

[Flat 10]

I think your assessment is correct. I was asked to take part in trials about five or six years ago. Maybe more. It was time consuming compared to paper. You needed access to the office to fill out the passport so no leaving it to one of the chaps on the yard to load and fill out the form. The lorry drivers had to be issued with a smart phones as these where not the norm back then. Drivers needed training. Phone signal was another issue as code numbers had to be exchanged. Oh and if you are somewhere else and the lorry turns up out of the blue ,that did not work either ,even if you had someone to load.
I know time has moved on and some of the issues will have been ironed out but I am still not convinced.
As for digital feedback from the merchant. one firm does send a text confirming the quality, the time tipped and they say Thank you! So this can be done without us paying.

Thank you for confirming my thoughts. I suspect it will be thrown at us regardless but it must help if enough of us respond. I didn't see any mention of code numbers etc but that sounds like a right palaver.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

The FAQs take a bit of chewing through.

Digital Passport FAQs | AHDB

Get the answers you need about the Digital Passport.

ahdb.org.uk

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

Can't see any farmer benefit from a digital passport, the idea wants filing under 'Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.'

 

[graham mc]

Ownership, governance, funding and costs​

3. Who will own the digital passport (DP) system?​

A consortium will be set up comprising the key parties represented on the current Leadership group, plus AHDB:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)
• Seed Crushers & Oil Processors Association (SCOPA)
• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

here we go again with all these on board what could possibly go wrong!!!

 

[Flat 10]

Ownership, governance, funding and costs​

3. Who will own the digital passport (DP) system?​

A consortium will be set up comprising the key parties represented on the current Leadership group, plus AHDB:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)
• Seed Crushers & Oil Processors Association (SCOPA)
• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

here we go again with all these on board what could possibly go wrong!!!

That’s rather where I got to as well. Ahdb and Nfu as “our” representatives. Ahdb has to wake up or the no vote looks more attractive by the day. New ceo needs to prove he’s looking after rate payers and act fast.

 

[Clive]

Ownership, governance, funding and costs​

3. Who will own the digital passport (DP) system?​

A consortium will be set up comprising the key parties represented on the current Leadership group, plus AHDB:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)
• Seed Crushers & Oil Processors Association (SCOPA)
• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

here we go again with all these on board what could possibly go wrong!!!

This is my issue with it not the technology !

if it happens AHDB should be sole "owners" why on earth would we allow NFU or BRC any control now we have seen first hand via RT that they simply can not be trusted ?

 

[Clive]

That’s rather where I got to as well. Ahdb and Nfu as “our” representatives. Ahdb has to wake up or the no vote looks more attractive by the day. New ceo needs to prove he’s looking after rate payers and act fast.

NFU don't represent the majority of farmers so why would they be involved at all ? AHDB represents EVERY farmer by default

 

[graham mc]

if we let AHDB own it what happens if we vote them out like we did on spuds??