AHDB and Defra sign agreement for traceability services
A new agreement has been signed between the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Defra, setting out how the levy board could develop a new multi-species livestock traceability service for England.
The initiative was instigated by industry stakeholders and is set to be rolled out from 2019.
The agreement was signed during a visit to AHDB’s Stoneleigh Park headquarters by Farming Minister George Eustice.
Farming Minister, George Eustice.
Eustice believes the service will: “Be instrumental in improving traceability and ensuring we continue to provide some of the best meat and livestock products in the world.”
The new service is said to add value for the livestock sectors, as well as providing a statutory service that will better protect against disease and bolster trade negotiations.
Key stakeholders, represented by the Traceability Design User Group (TDUG), have been involved in developing the vision and design principles and determining how all parties can work together.
AHDB chief executive Jane King commented: “AHDB is in a unique position to be able to lead the collaboration between government and industry in order to deliver a future traceability service which is truly transformational.
“As we prepare to leave the EU, a robust service delivering farm-to-fork traceability is fundamentally important to the future health of livestock farming in this country”
Activity is set to take place over the next few months to undertake due diligence and develop a target operating model for the new service.
The detailed work will enable a final decision on whether to proceed with the collaboration to be taken in the autumn.
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