Developing world beating technology,increasing the uptake of technology and innovation on farms,providing the best and most up to date market intelligence, andgrowing UK exports.
These are the aims of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) going forward, as outlined yesterday by food and farming minister George Eustice and new AHDB chairman Peter Kendall.
The duo were addressing AHDB employees at the organisation's Stoneleigh Park office.
Eustice said: “It is vitally important that we all concentrate on addressing the future needs of levy payers. I have been encouraged by the way AHDB is becoming a more focused and efficient organisation
“There is an important question about whether AHDB should be more of a single entity rather than operating as six separate sectors and I’m pleased that the Board has already started to look at this.
“AHDB is an organisation with a recognised wealth of expertise in so many areas – exports, knowledge transfer, R&D. Let us get the message out there that this expertise is working hard for the levy payer and making a real difference.'
Kendall, meanwhile, said: “One of the biggest global challenges we face is food security. Knowing this, UK farmers need to be growing more. Instead, we are growing less and importing more. I want AHDB to help to reverse this.
“We’ve got a great story to tell, great examples of our levy-payers’ levy in action – and as long as we aim high, there’s a lot more to come.
“Innovation in the soft fruit sector has meant that home-grown strawberries hit our shelves in the first week of March this year. Adopting new technologies has seen a 150 per cent increase in the area used for soft fruit under glass and plastic in less than 15 years.”
He then went on to tell AHDB employees that he wants to help raise the profile of the work they do and make sure farmers see the importance of AHDB.
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