Farmers, growers, processors and industry representatives are being asked for their views from today (31 August) on the role of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The AHDB is a UK statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain. As we leave the EU, there is an opportunity to ensure that the sectors that the AHDB covers are as competitive as possible. This review will look at the AHDB’s purpose and priorities, its strengths and where improvements need to be made.

This is a joint 10-week exercise covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The request for views will close on 9 November.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

At a time when we are designing a new agriculture policy from first principles, now is also a good time to review the role and function of this agricultural and horticultural levy body.

The AHDB collects around £60 million a year in statutory levy from farmers and growers and currently uses that money for a range of purposes to support these sectors.

This request for views is an opportunity for levy payers to have their say about the role and function of the various components of the AHDB in the future.

Jane King, Chief Executive Officer of the AHDB, said:

We welcome this opportunity to gain feedback from farmers and growers, and to help the industry compete in a global marketplace as the country prepares to leave the EU.

We’d encourage views to shape where we can have the biggest impact and drive value as an independent, evidence-based organisation, which carries out marketing at home and abroad, while sharing best practice and innovation with farmers, growers and the wider industry, at this crucial time.

To submit your views please complete the online survey by 9 November. Defra will also be running a number of workshops in the coming weeks .

We are seeking views on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). We are particularly keen to hear from farmers, growers, and others across the UK who pay a levy to fund it.

AHDB was created ten years ago. Since then the industries it supports have changed and AHDB has become more strategic and efficient. As we leave the European Union it is a good time to consider what AHDB’s future role and activities should be.

Which services are most valued? Should levy payers continue to pay money on the same basis in future?

Y Bwrdd Datblygu Amaethyddiaeth a Garddwriaeth (AHDB): Cais am safbwyntiau

Rydym yn ceisio safbwyntiau ar y Bwrdd Datblygu Amaethyddiaeth a Garddwriaeth (AHDB). Rydym yn awyddus iawn i glywed gan ffermwyr, tyfwyr, ac eraill ledled y DU sy’n talu ardoll i’w ariannu.

Sefydlwyd y Bwrdd Datblygu Amaethyddiaeth a Garddwriaeth ddeng mlynedd yn ôl. Ers hynny, mae’r diwydiannau a gefnogir ganddo wedi newid ac mae’r Bwrdd Datblygu Amaethyddiaeth a Garddwriaeth wedi dod yn fwy strategol ac effeithlon. Wrth i ni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd mae’n amser da ystyried beth ddylai rôl a gweithgareddau’r Bwrdd Datblygu Amaethyddiaeth a Garddwriaeth fod yn y dyfodol.

Pa wasanaethau a werthfawrogir fwyaf? A ddylai talwyr yr ardoll barhau i dalu arian ar yr un sail yn y dyfodol?

It is a pleasure to be with you this evening at the first annual meeting of the Corporate Leaders Group Chile Chapter. The first of many, I´m sure. I have only recently arrived in Chile and I feel fortunate that within my first few weeks I have had the honour of hosting the Board of Directors in my house and then attending this dinner.

This chapter of the CLG was established, of course, by HRH The Prince of Wales during his visit to Chile in 2009. I mentioned at the Board of Directors breakfast that I was already very familiar with the CLG concept from my last job as a Private Secretary for HRH. I have attended CLG meetings in a number of countries with him and he devotes considerable time to encouraging the creation of new CLG chapters and to following the work of existing ones. He will be delighted that I have been able to establish a relationship with you so soon after my arrival.

The CLG chapters in Chile, the UK and around the world play an important role in the development of new initiatives, policies and innovative solutions to combat climate change and help to accelerate the transition to a global low carbon economy. Supporting the Chilean CLG is therefore one of the top climate change priorities for our team at the British Embassy as well as for our partners at the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce.

And we have been delighted to witness how the CLG in Chile has grown in strength, increasing its membership to 18 companies this year. Much of this is due to the leadership of Thomas Keller and the Board of Directors as well as the energy and commitment of Executive Director, Marina Hermosilla.

I congratulate them. But I know that no one intends to rest on their laurels. CLG members worldwide are committed to playing a leadership role in combating climate change, both in terms of changing their own businesses and sectors, and in advocating change in the wider economic and political context. The CLG supports the goal of achieving, at a minimum, net zero emissions globally well before 2100, with at least 40% emissions reductions overall by 2030.

In the UK, many business leaders have embraced this challenge and are actively promoting low carbon transition as well as the commercial benefits of sustainable business. High profile examples include Richard Branson and Unilever’s Paul Polman. They are in good company. Across the globe we are seeing big corporations such as Nestle, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s and Mars promoting sustainable business models.

But I think it´s fair to say that globally, as well as in Chile, we need more business leaders championing these issues. We need more Chilean businesses to follow the example that you – the 18 member companies of the CLG here- are setting.

At the Embassy, we look forward to playing our part in assisting Chile´s transition towards a low carbon future and in ensuring the further growth of the CLG.

Thank you.

Young people across the country will join together to tackle plastic pollution through a new partnership between the UK Scouts and Government.

Harnessing the enthusiasm of the UK’s girl and boy Scouts, the Government will create and distribute a new Plastics and Marine Environment Activity Pack to help them in efforts to slash the amount of single-use plastics in our oceans.

Recognising the need for global action, this toolkit will be supported by a new international exchange programme, allowing Scouts from the UK and Kenya to visit one another and learn how important the issue of plastics is in different parts of the world.

The announcement was made by the Prime Minister during her visit to Africa this week, where she also pledged almost £40,000 for a new Girl Guides and Scouts Plastic Challenge Badge This will help an estimated 50,000 young people in Kenya and two further African countries, to better understand the importance of reducing plastic consumption.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time and we all have a role to play in turning the tide on single-use plastic in our oceans.

This new partnership will help mobilise Scouts to take action and inspire a new generation of leaders in kick-starting behaviour change towards single-use plastics.

The new partnership will build on the work the Scouts are already doing as part of their A Million Hands programme which gives young people the chance to take action with issues they care about.

This summer Scouts have been working with the Canal & River Trust to collect plastic and other litter from canals and rivers across the country. By doing this they have already built better outdoor spaces to bring communities together all across the UK.

Tim Kidd, UK Chief Commissioner for The Scouts said:

As Scouts, we’re committed to helping tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. We have always had a strong connection to the environment, and so taking action on plastic pollution is an obvious cause for our young people to champion.

I’m proud of the role our young people will play in taking a stand against single use plastics.

Speaking to Scouts and Guides with the Prime Minister in Kenya today, Head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim, said:

The environment has already paid a heavy price for our addiction to single-use plastics. We simply can’t allow that cost to extend to the next generation.

That’s why this support from the UK government to create and launch a plastic pollution badge with the Guides and Scouts is such an inspiring step in the right direction. This global partnership allows us to not just fight plastic pollution on the beaches, but to invest in the young minds that will preserve the planet for future generations to come.

Today’s announcement is the latest step in the Government’s ongoing fight against plastic, both at home and abroad.

This includes a world-leading ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products which harm marine life, and plans to ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and introduce a deposit return scheme to drive up the recycling of drinks bottles and cans, subject to consultation.

The 5p plastic bag charge will be extended to all retailers and not just big businesses, subject to consultation later this year, to help fight the global scourge of plastic pollution, Prime Minister Theresa May has announced today (30 August).

It is estimated over 3.4 billion single-use plastic bags are supplied annually by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Trade bodies representing 40,000 small retailers have already launched a voluntarily approach to a 5p charge, but this accounts for less than one-fifth of England’s estimated 220,000 SMEs.

A consultation, to be launched later this year, will also explore the possibility of increasing the 5p minimum charge to encourage further behaviour change, potentially doubling it to at least 10p.

Welcoming today’s announcement Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

We are committed to being a global leader in tackling plastic pollution. It blights our seas and land and chokes our wildlife.

Thanks to the public’s support, our plastic bag charge has been hugely successful. It has taken 13 billion plastic bags out of circulation in the last two years alone.

Today we are building on that success to ensure we leave our environment in a better state than we inherited it.

The move follows the success of the 5p charge introduced in 2015, which has seen plastic bag sales in major supermarkets drop by 86%. This is equivalent to just 19 bags in 2016/17 per person in England, compared with 140 bags each before the government introduced the charge.

Plastic bags have a significant impact on the environment. Government scientists believe plastic in the sea is set to treble in a decade unless marine litter is curbed – with one million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals dying every year from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste.

Mike Mitchelson, National President of The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN), said:

We welcome the announcement that the 5p plastic bag levy is likely to be extended to smaller shops. Independent retailers are environmentally friendly and like to play their part in reducing plastic waste so many of our members have already chosen to implement the 5p charge. As a result, they have been delighted to donate the proceeds from the charge to local and worthy good causes.

The 5p charge has made a huge difference to plastic bag usage and all independent retailers can look forward to playing their part in reducing further waste and raise money for local charities.

Today’s announcement comes during the Prime Minister’s visit to Kenya, where she has announced a further six African Commonwealth Countries (Seychelles, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Namibia and the Gambia) have now joined the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance (CCOA), pledging their support to end the scourge of plastics in our oceans.

The Alliance, announced in April during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), sees countries across the Commonwealth join forces in the fight against plastic, whether through a ban on microbeads, a commitment to cutting down on single-use plastic bags, or taking other steps to eliminate avoidable single-use plastic.

The UK will provide up to an additional £5 million in funding to assist CCOA countries seeking to take ambitious action – doubling the amount announced at CHOGM.

Today’s announcement is the latest move in a government crackdown on plastic, with the UK continuing to be a global leader in protecting seas, oceans and marine life. The government has recently announced a range of measures to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste including a world-leading ban on microbeads and plans to explore plastic free aisles in supermarkets.

Earlier this year government announced its intention to ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds , plans for a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates of drinks bottles and cans subject to consultation, and ran a call for evidence on using the tax system or charges to address single-use plastic waste, which attracted record-breaking public support for reducing single-use plastics and boosting recycling through the tax system. The Government is considering a number of options, including taxes or charges on specific plastic items which are commonly used on-the-go and littered.

Further information:

• The 5p charge was introduced on 5th October 2015.
• A small and medium enterprise (SME) is defined as a business with fewer than 250 employees.
• The figure of over 3 million single-use plastic bags supplied by SMEs is from The Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) Order 2015 impact assessment, Defra, 2018.
• The 86% reduction in single-use plastic bag sales is taken from A summary of the data on single-use plastic carrier bags in England, Defra, 2018.
• The figure that plastic in the sea is set to treble is taken from the Future of the Sea report, 2018.