The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) cereals and oilseeds sector council has agreed to support a research project to help inform future discussions regarding farm assurance and standards for imported combinable crops.
The work is in response to recommendations published in the Farm Assurance Review.
Analysts at AHDB are set to look at the existing standards for imported grain, as well as the legislative requirements involved, with supporting insight from the wider industry.
The purpose of the research is to help inform the industry and government on how assurance currently works domestically and on imports, and to identify opportunities to further support the sector.
AHDB
As part of the Farm Assurance Review, AHDB, in consultation with industry, was asked to consider a new approach for combinable crops and assess the standards for imported food.
According to AHDB, the research will be published in four phases between January 2026, and October 2026.
The focus of these phases will be:
- Identifying the differences between farm assurance systems in the UK, their associated standards, and government legislation.
- The legislative requirements for domestic and imported grain.
- How farm assurance facilities and delivers legislative and contract requirements for the supply chain, as well as looking at how standards differ for imports to the UK.
- How the UK could meet legislative and contractual requirements in Farm Assurance was adapted, or did not exist.
AHDB sector council chair, Tom Clarke said: “This project demonstrates AHDB’s commitment to ensuring there is a meaningful and insightful research paper into Farm Assurance to the benefit of Cereals and Oilseeds growers and the wider supply chain.
“The sector council are also fully committed to providing levy payers with the best possible understanding of how assurance in the cereals and oilseeds sector currently works and the potential for making improvements that benefit our industry,” Clarke added.
