Following the industry-wide consultation for the combinable crops digital passport there has been an intensive period reviewing the wide-ranging feedback received.

Headlines from the consultation are:

• Over 400 grower business responses.

• Over 50 merchant, haulier, and processor business responses.

• 80 new questions and feedback points to be reviewed.

The feedback received can be grouped into broad categories. These are of fundamental aspects of what the passport is for, technical queries over specific aspects of grain deliveries, developmental questions on how the system will work and data led questions over governance, security, and data-sharing.

There was also a consistent theme from responses of the need for greater clarity and explanation regarding the costs and benefits. The examination of these costs will form a significant part of the review process. The Leadership Group are clear that all questions raised will be addressed and responses communicated in full.

To ensure that all aspects of the consultation feedback are comprehensively reviewed the Leadership Group will start to discuss key questions over the coming weeks. The Data and Development Groups who supported the creation of the business case through summer 2023 will be called upon to bring their own expertise into the process.

Alongside this, the Leadership Group will also offer the opportunity for individual businesses or groups to discuss their feedback and questions one to one so that any business-specific points can be covered. This will lead to a timeline (outlined below) aiming for completion of the consultation feedback process by late spring. Once this process is completed, the business case can be updated, and industry will be provided with a clear and comprehensive log of all updates relating to the consultation feedback.

The longer-term decision on funding and development will be made once this initial process of business case development and review is complete.