Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) chair Peter Kendall unveiled new branding for the UK’s agricultural levy boards at the Cereals Event in Lincolnshire today.

The new branding of the UK’s six levy boards was accompanied by proposals for a closer working relationship between the groups from different sectors.

As part of the rebrand, HGCA will become AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds; the new branding was launched at the event on Wednesday. The other trade groups include AHDB Dairy, AHDB Horticulture, AHDB Pork and AHDB Potatoes. Cross sector projects will be delivered simply as AHDB.

Though the rebrand has a focus on closer working relationships between the different sector boards, Kendall said specialist work would still be conducted by each different sector’s board.

Speaking on Wednesday, the AHDB chair said, “Key to our new way of functional working will be retaining sector expertise and the input of AHDB’s Sector Boards. We will also continue to ensure that levies raised in a sector will be spent for the benefit of that sector.”

AHDB’s board has also decided to reorganise its senior team into wider functional roles. The reshuffle will focus activity in five areas: industry strategy, technical, communications and market development, finance and HR.

The different sector Boards will meet later this month to discuss priorities for their sectors and for AHDB as a whole. There is a planned meeting of the cross-sector board to discuss future activity later in the year.

In order to minimise the cost of the rebrand, existing supplies of legacy branded materials will continue to be used. The AHDB Board has said it wants to keep the cost of the rebrand below £60,000. AHDB chief executive Jane King has said the rebranding will not lead to job losses.

AHDB’s Work

On Wednesday Mr Kendall added that, over the past six months, AHDB has rolled out a number of key joint projects to deliver long term benefits for farmers and growers. He said, “Earlier this year AHDB funded the UK’s first Agriculture and Food Counsellor to China. This new three year appointment will help pave the way for building on the estimated £215 million of UK food and drink exports to China each year.

“Our role in leading the new AHDB Crop Nutrient Management Guide means that future nutrient management research will be undertaken in a co-ordinated way to address the gaps in existing RB209 advice and to remove duplication.”

Mr Kendall said innovation would be central to future AHDB activities, adding, “Encouraging farmers and growers to innovate will be crucial for the future sustainability of our industry.  To that end, we will be holding a brand new AHDB Smart Agriculture Conference in September to see how the latest technologies could transform the future of farming.

“These activities are just some examples of how a joined up approach can deliver more return on investment for levy funds. I hope that by anchoring this strategic way of working in AHDB, we can deliver more benefits for farmers and growers.”