A group of professional growers base in Lincolnshire is organise a vote to obtain views on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board ( AHDB ) .
The three growers conjointly grow white potato , vegetables and flowers across 2,025 ha ( 5,000 Akko ) of country , and 5.6 ha ( 14 land ) of glasshouses ; together they employ c. 250 personnel and have a combined dollar volume of £ 20 million . They are balloting their fellow horticulturalists on their views of AHDB , and in picky whether they palpate that this governance should retain its legal powers to roll up a required levy - based on the employee turnover of their businesses .
Because horticulture is such a private-enterprise industry , the most successful concern carry their own enquiry to put on competitive reward . However , they also have to ante up AHDB to distribute such data as wide as possible .
The ballot stick to a Government call for views in 2018 which pull response from less than 0.5 per centime of levy en masse - payer . Despite such a low level of response , the majority of horticulture and tater cultivator feel ADHB was out of touching and the DEFRA review did not ply a authorization for the statutory levy to remain . Despite this , AHDB ’s chief operating officer Jane King proclaim the results were , “ A general endorsement for the good continuation of the levy en masse . ”
Given this highly low level of engagement , the growers believe the sentence is right to get a truly representative picture of how AHDB is consider by horticultural levy en masse - payer , which can be then presented to DEFRA .
Those behind the vote are also disappointed with the National Farmers Union ( NFU ) who seem to be more supportive of AHDB than their own member , who ’s survey they have failed to prioritize on this occasion . The organizer are equally foiled with AHDB ’s bankruptcy to furnish them with a complete list of around 4,000 levy en masse remunerator , meaning that only 1,600 agriculturist will mechanically have ballot newspaper publisher . Those who do n’t get a ballot paper are urged to contact[email protected]and request one .
From will to right : Peter Thorold , Simon Redden , John Bratley
The agriculturist behind the ballot are flower agriculturalist Simon Redden and vegetable and potato manufacturer Peter Thorold and John Bratley . They want to make the voices of growers try and conceive that the AHDB construction is ground on an outdated organisation which task growers but is unaccountable to them . Of particular concern is the fact that the compulsory levy en masse fee is based on turnover , which can result in payments of tens of thousands of pound sign by large cultivator , with those growers who can not pay depicted object to legal action , and likely criminal convictions .
John Bratley explicate : “ We have been abnegate a ballot for the ten long time that AHDB has been in existence , and accompany the government call for views , it will be at least another five years before one is held . With no representation on the Council , this undemocratic quango continues to visit itself on us without representation disregardless of our wishes and needs . ”
Simon Redden adds : “ Even governments must prorogue to the judgement of the electorate every five years , but apparently not AHDB . ”
In picky the AHDB Review Petitioners are seeking scene on :
To canvass these views , the AHDB Review Petitioners are sending vote theme to all known growers from the root of July . However , any levy - paying agriculturist who does not receive a balloting paper can request one during the three - calendar week vote process using the e-mail address:[email protected ] .
