Farm levy body defends its plan for horticulture ballot in 2021

Farm levy body AHDB has defended plans to wait until 2021 to hold a ballot on the future of the statutory levy for the horticulture sector.

The ballot was triggered by the submission of more than 100 formal requests for a vote on the continuation of statutory levies for horticulture growers.

The requests were delivered to AHDB by a trio of disgruntled Lincolnshire growers, who are lobbying for a change in the way levies are collected and spent from the horticulture and potato sectors.

They are now questioning the timing of the ballot and say “any attempts to use the timescale to promote AHDB’s activities will be viewed in a negative light by the industry”.

AHDB chairman Nicholas Saphir said a vote could only be held once the organisation’s procurement protocols were used to appoint an independent organisation to administer the ballot.