NEWS RELEASE
Date: 1 April 2008
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Minister welcomes the launch of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) was launched today along with its six sector companies bringing substantial benefits for farmers and growers.
Welcoming the launch, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming, Jeff Rooker said: “This is a significant milestone in the restructuring of the statutory levy boards. The new structure will ensure better value for money through improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and levy payers should reap the benefits of these changes over the next few years.
I would like to pay tribute to the work already carried out by the new Board, the sector companies, and the staff of all five boards, in ensuring a smooth transition to the new structure, especially from a levy payer perspective. I would also like to thank the outgoing levy board Chairs and their Boards for all the valuable work over the years and their constructive approach to helping the new board.”
John Bridge, Chairman of AHDB said, "This is a great day. I know we have some immense challenges to face in the agriculture and horticulture sectors but I believe we have the structures in place to respond effectively to these challenges. Getting to where we are today has been down to good team work and I would like to thank all those who have helped me and our small team over the last 16 months."
Sir Don Curry, adviser to Defra on Farming and Food Strategy, also welcomed the new board saying “The agriculture and horticulture sectors are experiencing an unprecedented period of change. It is therefore essential to have a new levy board structure which is 'fit for purpose' in order to provide appropriate direction and support. This marks a new era for the industry and I am convinced that there are significant efficiency savings achievable by the new board which will benefit all sectors.'
Notes to editors
- On 26 June 2006, Jeff Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming, together with Devolved Ministers, announced that the five levy bodies (the British Potato Council, the Meat and Livestock Commission, the Milk Development Council, the Horticultural Development Council and the Home Grown Cereals Authority) should be radically restructured and replaced by one statutory levy board with six wholly owned sector companies on 1 April 2008.
- The predecessor levy boards are dissolved by The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Order 2008 which replaces them with a new body named the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). The Order also provides for the establishment of a subsidiary company for each of the sectors covered by it (cereals and oilseeds (GB), beef and lamb (England only), horticulture (GB), milk (GB), pigs (England only) and potatoes (GB). The new subsidiary companies of AHDB are: HGCA Ltd, the Horticultural Development Company, EBLEX Ltd, DairyCo, BPEX Ltd and the Potato Council Ltd. Separate arrangements in respect of beef, lamb and pigs will operate in Scotland and Wales.
- The Order requires AHDB to raise levies relating to each sector and it is has already indicated that it will delegate the collection of levies to each sector company. The levy rates that apply from 1 April 2008 were announced in Information Notice 83/08 of 19 March 2008.
- AHDB’s draft Corporate Plan, including the six sectoral plans and proposed levy rates, was released for consultation in early January this year. A copy of the final version of the plan is now available from the Defra website as listed below.
- It was announced in September 2007 that the sector companies would be co-located with AHDB in Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire from April 2009. In the meantime the sector companies will continue to operate from their predecessors’ sites, and the AHDB HQ will based temporarily in Defra’s London buildings.
- Further information on the reform of statutory agricultural and horticultural levy boards can be found on the Defra levy board website: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/levy-bodies/index.htm.
End
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Page published: 31 March 2008