Digital Passport FAQs

A consortium will be set up comprising the key parties represented on the current Leadership group, plus AHDB:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)
• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

This is the same model (with different parties) which has worked successfully for the AHDB Recommended Lists for many years. Under this model, the consortium will collectively own the digital passport concept and oversee its direction. AHDB would be the legal entity owning the DP system software and database on behalf of the consortium and industry. This arrangement would continue indefinitely with the consortium’s agreement. If at any point in future AHDB were unable to perform this function on behalf of the consortium, or were AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds to cease to exist, the consortium can decide what alternative arrangements should be put in place.

Find out about who will own the DP system.

A similar structure of industry representative groups would be set up mirroring the structure used in working through 2023/24 to prepare the DP business case:

• An ownership group will replace the current Leadership Group and would provide senior level industry leadership and act as the consortium management group.
• A system governance group would succeed the current Development Group. It would act as the interface between AHDB, the system build contractor and wider industry, overseeing the system build, reviewing options and taking decisions to ensure the system works effectively for all.
• A data governance group will oversee all matters relating to data security, visibility, transparency, sharing, quality and permissions.

Find out more about who will govern the DP system.

Under the consortium ownership model, the day-to-day system operation and management oversight would be by individuals employed by AHDB. This includes working with the appointed system build contractor and the System Governance Group through the build phase, and beyond that into the ‘business as usual’ (BAU) phase. AHDB would also provide the customer support helpdesk function, supporting industry through the transition and beyond. AHDB would operate and manage the system day-to-day based on key input and decisions taken by the three representative industry groups.

Find out more about who will operate the DP system.

Grant funding from Defra and others will be sought to cover initial build, development, rollout and running costs.

Find out more about how the development phase is funded.

Agreement with the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds sector council will be sought to use a combination of statutory AHDB levy, alongside continued pursuit of further grant funding to cover the annual running costs.

Find out more about how the long-term running costs will be funded.

The Leadership Group have agreed that any non-levy paying businesses or businesses trading non-levied crops will need to pay according to the number of passports used. This will include domestically grown combinable peas and beans, and imported unprocessed combinable crops such as wheat, barley, maize and oilseed rape. It will also include processors of domestically grown oilseed rape.

Find out more about how payments for use of the system will work.

The winning tender from 2024 included a cost of £986k to build a system to deliver industry’s requirements. This includes the cost to develop the core database and web portal, the mobile app and the systems integration platform.

Find out more about what it will cost to develop the DP system.

The annual projected gross running cost is £362k including the industry support function. This will be reduced by the DP charge income.

Find out more about the annual running costs for the system.

The costs are very similar. The costs of printing and distributing paper passports and stickers is calculated to be £327k or 1.6p per tonne. The gross annual running cost for the digital passport is £362k or 1.77p per tonne. However, there are further cost savings envisaged by switching to a digital passport which take the saving from £327k to £652k or 3.18p per tonne.

Find out more about the cost comparison of the digital and paper passports.

There are a number of potential costs to be borne by industry in implementing the DP system, however it’s important to note that no specialist hardware or devices will be required.

Find out more about the industry implementation costs.

Wherever possible, AHDB and the system build contractor will work with proprietary software suppliers to put in place an integration solution which can be rolled out to all users of the software. This is efficient and achievable and will result in a low or no cost integration solution. For companies with bespoke software, each business will need to develop their own integration solution. Experience in the 2015 pilot showed that this could be achieved with between 40 and 70 hours of time from in-house IT teams. Two case study examples are included in the business case.

Find out more about any costs to integrate the DP with your software.

The simplified process agreed by the Development Group means all passports will be created by the sender (grower or storekeeper) to reflect how the paper passport system currently works.

Find out more about who starts the DP creation process.

Yes. The DP system will generate a unique ID for each passport visible to everyone involved. Receivers can add their delivery or booking references, hauliers can add their collection ticket numbers and growers/storekeepers can add their own reference number, all of which will be visible to the other parties. Processors will be able to add contract numbers which will help them and the merchant they have purchased from to cross-reference records.

Find out more about the reference information displayed on the DP.

No. Whether a passport is required, digital or paper, is a matter for the contracting parties. If it is deemed necessary that a digital passport is required for non-assured grain movements the DP will follow the TASCC scheme rules which describe how this works.

Yes. Using the online web portal, growers and storekeepers can populate passports in the system ahead of time. Once the lorry arrives, the passport with your completed information will need to be transferred to the driver.

No. The loader or storekeeper must be present at loading to inspect the vehicle and complete the declaration confirming the vehicle is fit to be loaded before passing the digital passport over to the driver from their device. However, most passport data can be pre-populated remotely before the vehicle arrives.

Yes. Using the online web portal, growers and storekeepers can duplicate a passport in the DP system to populate multiple similar passports quickly, without repeatedly entering the same information.

Yes. The driver will be able to do all they need to do on collection day via their own device. The haulage office has an option to add information on behalf of their driver in extenuating circumstances and will be able to view data added.

Yes, or at least a device capable of hosting the DP app and connecting to the internet. This will be used to capture data that drivers are required to enter including their declaration. Technology will be required at collection and intake to enable passport transfer between parties mirroring the transfer of paper passports today.

Find out more about the technology requirements for the DP.

No. The simplified process has been designed to closely replicate the paper passport process therefore each supply chain participant has responsibility to enter their data fully and accurately, as they do with the current process. The DP system will be built with controls ensuring that each stage of the passport must be completed before progressing to the next.

One of the key benefits of a universal digital passport system is to avoid proliferation of individual supply chain digital passport systems. Some grain merchants already have digital systems for communicating data (other than passport data) with growers. One of the key features of the proposed DP system is potential integration with existing software. Businesses choosing this option will benefit from automatic data flow in both directions between systems with no duplication of effort.

Find out more about the automatic data flow with DP.

Yes. For off-farm stores permitting deliveries based on one passport per crop, per day, per vehicle, per farm will be accommodated. The same passport would be used and accepted multiple times per day by the recipient (where all details on a passport remain consistent and there is an agreement in place to operate this way). The detail on how passport ID numbers would work for this type of movement needs to be decided by industry.

Yes. This will follow the same sender led process used for grain moving from farm to processors. This will work for both self-hauled and contract hauled loads.

Yes. There will be multiple options in the event of a rejection, including redirection, return to sender, accept under a different contract, send to a cleaner, and retest and accept after initial rejection. If the load is redirected, the same passport will move with the load as happens today with the paper system, the rejection details will be shared with the second recipient in the case of a food and feed safety rejection but not in the case of a quality rejection.

Yes. The receiver details will only be entered onto the passport once the grain arrives at intake and so if a load is redirected en route this will not require an adjustment to the passport. If the load is rejected and then redirected as a result the second recipient will not know the load had previously been rejected unless it was a rejection for food and feed safety reasons.

Yes. The same passport would remain available to cover the journey back to the sender as with the paper system.

Yes. Whether a passport is required, digital or paper, is a matter for the contracting parties. If it is deemed necessary, that a digital passport is required for port movements the TASCC scheme rules describe how this should work.

Yes. In the same way that they do with the paper system, the sender will be the central store supplying the grain. They will initiate passports for all loads moving out of store.

Yes. The receiving farm will need to set itself up as a recipient. The passport will be created by the sender and depending on whether sender or receiver are hauling the grain will depend on who fills in the transporter details.

Yes. With the simplified sender led process, last-minute changes will be easily handled because passports are not linked to fixings or contracts until loads have been delivered rather than at point of creation.

Yes. The system will perform real-time assurance status checks relying on third-party integration with Red Tractor, Scottish Quality Crops, TASCC and UFAS databases. In the event of a breakdown between these databases and the DP system, or if internet access is not available, the system will indicate the date and time of the last status checks. For real-time checks to be performed at intake, an internet connection must be available.

Find out more about DP assurance status.

Data entered into the system will be owned by the party that entered it. Data users will be represented on the Data Governance Group and will have the ability to control how their data is used. There will be a set of validation thresholds to ensure all data aggregated into larger datasets cannot identify or reveal commercially sensitive data owned by any single party.

Find out more about who owns DP data.

Data management will be overseen by a Data Governance Group, made up of representatives of all those who input and own data within the DP system. In addition to industry representatives, data specialists will be invited to join the group alongside AHDB’s Data Protection Officer. This group will have complete oversight of all aspects relating to data, including:

• What data is required to be shared via the digital passport
• System security standards
• GDPR
• Data quality and transparency
• Ensuring that data is fed back to growers in real-time, as defined in the business case

Four different data ‘permissions’ have been outlined in the business case. The first three, which cover sharing data in day-to-day passport usage and quality data feedback, sharing aggregated data in the event of a food and feed safety investigation and AHDB analysis of aggregated and anonymised data to benefit industry, will be put in place from day one.

Further permissions around usage by third parties are ruled out at the start but will be discussed later during rollout as required by industry.

Find out more about who governs the DP data.

Yes. In this context the business case defines ‘real-time’ as making quality data available to growers via the DP as soon as that data is known by the recipient. However, there will be multiple definitions of this, especially during the transition. Some intakes, particularly those which cannot be integrated with the DP, will have different abilities to pass back data quickly due to the technology available and whether internet connection is available or not.

Find out more about DP real-time data.

No. As the merchant has a much-reduced role in the simplified DP process, in the case of string trades, weight and quality data will only be passed back to the merchant selling to the recipient.

In addition, there will be an option for growers to add the merchant they have sold loads to at the point they create the passport, meaning they have access to passport as well as weight and quality data. If data is required to be shared with other merchants in the string, parties will do this outside of the DP system, as they do today.

As the DP system has no way of identifying whether a passport is for a string traded load or not, the identity of the sender and transporter will not be visible to the merchant on completed passports for any type of load.

This ensures that the DP does not increase the visibility of sender and transporter details to those merchants who do not have access to this information with the paper system today.

Find out more about who has access to which pieces of information.

Yes. The DP will be developed to cope with high traffic. All users will register and log in with their own username and password. The mobile app will make use of smartphone security technology where possible, e.g., biometrics. The system will have firewalls to protect against security attacks and use encryption to secure data. The project team have consulted the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) who have shared their advice for security measures which have been factored into a security specification which can be shared with industry, contact the AHDB team for more information. Security testing will be carried out during the development process, including periodic penetration tests by an independent third party.

Find out more about how your data will be protected.

Yes. The DP will be built using Microsoft technology, tried, and tested worldwide. AHDB has an established relationship with Microsoft, who are available to support the DP system development.

AHDB ran a fresh open tender process on behalf of the Leadership Group which concluded in January 2024.

No contract will be signed until and unless the Leadership Group decide the digital passport is going ahead, and only when funding is secured, including the option of levy funding from the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds sector council.

The contract will be awarded for three years initially and will cover the build phase and the industry rollout.

Yes. Growers can set up as many company users as they require. All users will have their own user ID (email address) and password.

Yes. The use of QR codes is being investigated alongside other technology as a method of identifying a specific passport and verifying users’ identity before passing a passport from one user to the next.

No. However depending on your business there could be benefits in doing so. If you wish to buy software that integrates with the DP this could save time and cost associated with performing manual processes. Systems integration will be entirely optional.

Yes. The DP workflow will work without connectivity at collection point and intake as the system will be designed to allow transfer of data between devices offline. Drivers can leave the collection point with a passport saved to their device which will automatically upload to the DP database when the device finds data signal. Where there is no connectivity at intake, passports will be transferred from drivers’ devices to intake devices offline. However, intake devices will need internet access to synchronise data daily. As a last resort the telephone help desk service can process passports for exceptions.

Find out more about how the system works offline.

Yes. One of the key features of the proposed digital passport system is that it can integrate with existing software and digital systems. This will be optional and businesses choosing to integrate will benefit from automatic data flow in both directions between systems with no duplication of effort.

Find out more about the integration of the DP system.

Yes. The majority of DP functionality will be available as industry standard using Restful Web Services, a high-performance and robust industry standard for APIs. Communication between systems and the DP APIs will be encrypted. Users and systems will be secured using an authentication standard called OAuth 2.0. All API documentation will be available online, and technical support will be in place to assist technology teams to integrate your systems with the DP.

Find out more about how the DP integrates with your system.

Yes. DP will be built in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which means considering a range of disabilities including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities, when designing the system.

Find out more about how the DP is built inline with Accessibilty guidance.

Yes. It is essential that supply chain individuals input into every stage of the design and build ensuring that the system does what industry needs it to do as efficiently as possible.

Find out more about input from the supply chain on the build design.

The foundations for this are already in place by the formation of the Development Group. To successfully build a system meeting industry’s requirement we will need regular input from across the supply chain.

It will mean a commitment throughout the build period, working in fortnightly cycles. Routine communication between industry and AHDB’s Product Owner will provide an understanding of the quirks and nuances of the system.

Regular and timely testing is important, and industry stakeholder involvement is essential to identify complications or areas requiring further work.

Working in two-week iterations will mean a regular time commitment for those committing to support development. We will co-ordinate this carefully, ensuring we are working with the right part of the supply chain depending on what is being developed.

We expect a minimum of four hours commitment over any two-week period. This could be higher if site visits are required to understand a specific process.

A key responsibility will be to provide AHDB’s Product Owner with feedback to make sure the best decisions are made on behalf of industry, and that functionality is signed off only when it meets industry’s requirements.

Find out more about the DP development group.

Yes. An effective DP system will mean that papers do not get lost, all fields will be completed, and assurance status is checked in real time minimising delays at collection and delivery. A key established principle is not to go further than establishing a platform allowing data to move both ways through supply chains and just to digitise the paper passport. This means wherever a paper passport is currently used, a digital passport will be used in future. It will be up to wider industry to decide on its future development. 

There are several ways in which users can be supported in the event of devices being broken or flat or in case of local power cuts etc.

Users will be able to log in using any available digital devices, including smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. In-built functionality − which makes it easy to download a completed passport as a pdf, and the ability to email it to self or to someone else − will provide flexible options for individual users to work around central system unavailability or local issues.

In addition, any passport created by a grower or store can be accessed by other users registered with that business. If a phone is broken, individuals would need to contact the helpdesk who would be able to help, although it is recognised that they may need to borrow someone else's phone to do this if the device could not make a call.

Find out more about how DP data is supported by in-built functionality.

AHDB operates a helpdesk to support a range of industry services, including the pig industry's electronic movement licences. The helpdesk is comprised of 5 full-time call/email handlers and a manager.

The proposal is to add two full-time people to this team. All team members will be trained to support the digital passport, so there will be seven people available to support at peak times.

The transition from paper to digital, from the start of beta testing to the end of paper passport usage is planned to be 27 months, with businesses switching to digital throughout that period. This will give time to see what level of support industry requires and adjust the level of support through the helpdesk accordingly.

Find out more about how the DP system will be supported.

It is recognised that grain intakes do not operate on a 9:00am – 5:00pm, five-days-a-week basis, so a pattern of extended hours will be agreed with industry; this will flex through the season and be extended further during harvest.

The call centre technology allows the team to closely monitor the timing of calls and emails, meaning that extra resources can be made available if it's shown for example that there's a regular daily peak at 8am.

Yes. The focus throughout the build phase will be to design and build a system which is highly available with stringent service level agreements. The build contractor is ISO 22301 certified which means for services they develop, they have audited processes in place focusing on business continuity and disaster recovery management.

The system will be hosted in Microsoft Azure meaning the service will be highly secure, resilient and with high availability. There will be automated data replication, backup, and recovery regimes to support business continuity, coupled with hosting across two geo-redundant datacentres. This means that if there is an issue with one system, it will automatically switch to the other, which is hosted in an entirely different location. This will limit system downtime to an absolute minimum.

Service level agreements will include system uptime requirements which will be agreed with the system ownership and governance groups.

Yes. The system will be available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Yes. A range of training materials will be available. Successful uptake by companies and their employees relies on individuals accessing materials and resources to understand how to use the system. AHDB will work with the developer and industry to ensure this training and the associated materials and resources are widely available and effective.

Find out more about the training available.