Results of Shape the Future voting for Dairy

For the first time in the history of the levy boards, every levy payer was able to share their views on how their levy should be spent via the AHDB Shape the Future vote in spring 2022.

You were asked to rate how important a range of priorities were on a score of 1 to 5 (5 being the most important). The results were as follows:

As you can see, while there was a spread of results there were no low scores.

The sector council also took into account the 200-plus comments that were submitted via Shape the Future. The most common were about the importance of consumer marketing and advertising, plus the need to challenge claims from dairy alternatives.

Many comments emphasised the need to raise awareness of the work that is being done for the environment and in animal health and welfare; others stressed the importance of collaborating with other industry bodies.

Your sector council’s comments on the results

Levy payers gave us a clear message about the high importance of post-farmgate work such as marketing campaigns, reputational defence, consumer education and exports. We took this to mean that while all areas of work were valued, there was a preference for more of the levy to be directed towards this reputational work.

There was also strong support for areas such as animal health and welfare, environment, and dairy genetics and genomics. We took this to mean that these are also important to levy payers, especially where activity provides data and evidence to underpin the sector’s reputation.

For example, on the environmental side, the data we collect for the Dairy roadmap provides proof of our comparatively low and improving impact of dairy production on the environment, which is vital data to inform consumers and government. Similarly, the independent insight we have on dairy genetics and genomics clearly demonstrates a reduction in the sector’s environmental emissions year-on-year. Likewise, collecting data on antibiotic usage via AHDB’s electronic Medicine Hub will be vital in supporting the sector’s reputation.

The sector council believes that AHDB’s knowledge exchange work is a route for thousands of levy payers every year to learn (through face-to-face meetings or online resources) from other farmers on animal health and welfare, environment, and genetics and genomics. AHDB’s market intelligence work also helps inform government and consumers on the facts around dairy and boosts the impact of our export and marketing activities.

In summary, the sector council asked AHDB to:

• Prioritise marketing, reputational defence, consumer education and exports to promote the reputation of British dairy and dairy products
• Focus on the elements of animal health and welfare, genetics and genomics and environmental work that supports the reputation of British dairy farming and products with governments and consumers at home and overseas
• Concentrate AHDB’s knowledge exchange and market intelligence work on practical support for farmers that underpins the sector’s reputation while ensuring we eliminate duplications with others and maximise collaboration opportunities