The AHDB Horizon report “Driving productivity growth together” will be launched today at an Oxford Farming Conference fringe event this afternoon and concludes that the UK is falling significantly behind its major competitors in terms of productivity.

The USA and the Netherlands are raising their agricultural productivity three times faster than the UK, says the report.

While the UK has 0.9% annual productivity growth, these two countries have achieved growth rates of 3.2% and 3.5% respectively.

This has led to a productivity gap – worth more than £4.3bn in lost GDP between 2000 and 2013.

The report says that there are two major factors holding the UK back.

The first is the fact that, even though spending on research and development is quite healthy, at £490m, it is heavily geared towards “blue sky” rather than “near market” research, and is too fragmented.

The second is a lack of skills, with British farmers and growers underinvesting in their skills base, compared with other countries.

Farmer-to-farmer learning is identified as a key and proven method of accelerating productivity growth and AHDB is calling for industry to seize the opportunity of the Government's new industrial strategy and forge a new partnership to drive what AHDB calls 'a dramatic acceleration' in productivity growth.

The AHDB is calling for a “revolution in agricultural productivity” and sets out a five-point action plan, which has increased industry collaboration and partnership to drive lasting change at its core.

A compilation of short and in-depth profiles of the current AHDB Monitor and Strategic Farms, the Farm Excellence Directory, which spans livestock, arable and horticulture enterprises, have been compiled and can be viewed here ahdb.org.uk/farmexcellence

Jane King, AHDB CEO, said: “Last year, we made it clear that a priority for the AHDB would be to speed up innovation and productivity growth on farm to help farmers prepare for Brexit and beyond.

We’ve been busy coordinating our knowledge exchange work and building on the success of our Monitor and Strategic Farms. Now we have an impressive network of businesses all looking to adapt and improve through the power of farmer-to-farmer learning.  This new publication showcases the breadth and depth of farmer led learning right across the country, which is proving practical and motivating for all those involved. 

“I’m delighted that our network of host farms will continue to grow in 2018 with new potatoes, pork, dairy and cereals & oilseeds Strategic Farms joining new Monitor Farms in Northern Ireland and Wales". 

Forty-six farms are now at the heart of an expanding farmer-to-farmer learning network which looks at productivity and innovation on the farm.

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Brian Barker ( above), E.J. Barker & Sons, former monitor farmer and host of the first Strategic Farm for arable farmers said: “I want to build on my Monitor Farm experiences and look at the short- and long-term impact of decisions on my business. Understanding risk management is key, as is financial scrutiny of farm trials. As the host of a Strategic Farm, I want to make decisions that bring the best returns on investment. Most of all, I want to share my journey with others.” 

The Driving productivity growth together report calls for industry to seize the opportunity of the Government’s new industrial strategy and forge a new partnership to drive what AHDB calls ‘a dramatic acceleration’ in productivity growth.

AHDB chief strategy officer Tom Hind is optimistic that, if industry, academia and training providers join forces, productivity growth can be achieved.

“This is of critical importance for two fundamental reasons,” he says. “Firstly, productivity plays a significant part in our industry’s overall competitiveness, which is critical if we want to operate in increasingly globalised markets.

“This matters both because we want our industry to seize market opportunities at home and abroad, and because we want the industry to become less dependent on direct support as we move away from the Common Agricultural Policy.”

The second reason is that productivity is also a key driver in overcoming environmental challenges.

According to the report, techniques that are associated with productivity growth, such as precision farming and soil management, also benefit the environment.

“Productivity and environmental responsibility go hand in hand,” he concluded.