raiser opposed to the continuation of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board ( AHDB ) in the horticultural sphere have urged others to make their voice heard , adding that proposed reforms to the levy body do not go far enough and are “ too little , too previous . ”
Ballot theme were sent by AHDB to levy payers last week , and those growers who have paid their current levy ( or have a deferral agreement ) now have until 10 February to vote on whether the levy circuit card continues for horticulture . Growers opposed to the current system of rules fence that only a decisive vote can fork over the dynamic and market - based approach to R&D that the horticultural manufacture need , citing the model that has been successfully adopted in The Netherlands since they abolish their own horticultural levy organisation in 2015 .
The agriculturalist believe that relocation by some raiser and grower organisations to push AHDB Horticulture into further reform actually show that AHDB is unequal to of the serious reform required.3They argue that if the levy organic structure have provided an effective and effective service for the last 12 years , reform would not be need .
He also incriminate AHDB of not understanding its own proposals for levy - reform , saying that different growers had been told different thing at dissimilar online meetings .
“ At one meeting AHDB Chair Nicholas Saphir told a veggie grower that if he get no benefit from AHDB , he would pay zero levy en masse , while at the next meeting a flower grower in the same situation was told he would have to keep subsidising research for his direct rival , ” go along Simon . “ How can one case of cabbage be different from another , but wholly different species , such as lily and chrysanthemums be the same ? If AHDB ca n’t sympathise their own levy proposals , how can anyone else ? ”
nominee against the organisation have also criticised the way that the organisation has sought to justify its own existence since the ballot was called .
Vote in the ballotVegetable Farmer Peter Thorold gloss : “ As we predicted , AHDB has cynically spent our levy , which should have been put towards funding R&D , on a cause assay to justify its continued existence . material sums of our money have been used to create sheeny brochures , webinars and on-line videos for self - advancement . If the AHDB is not prepared to be pronounce on its past operation , why should we hope it to be effective in the time to come ?
“ AHDB has been claiming to have engage with around 1,000 levy remunerator over the last six week , but we have n’t check grounds of that level of interaction . There have been seven virtual ‘ townsfolk residence hall meetings ’ , and those that we have attended have had 35 - 40 attendees , of which around half have been levy en masse payers , so we reckon the meetings have only reached some 150 levy payer in totality . If right , this shows a dismal lack of engagement with growers . ”
veg and potato grower John Bratley accent that it is vital that all growers vote in the ballot , whether for or against the good continuation of AHDB . He said : “ Whatever the outcome , for this vote to have real legitimacy , there ask to be a pregnant outfit and we urge every eligible grower in the UK to vote . Even those sustain the continuation of the levy have said that plans for reform , such as they are , would need to be put to a next ballot . We consider growers should make the most of this opportunity and vote to get rid of an organisation which is out of date , out of touch , and struggling to come up with a meaningful order of business for reform . ”
For more information : AHDB[email protected]www.ahdb.org.uk
