Growers to have say on digital grain passports

• Webinars explain plan to growers

• Data-sharing challenge ‘resolved’

• Benefits across the supply chain

Cereal growers are being given the chance to decide whether to do away with paper grain passports and move to a digital system.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board says the move will provide a two-way data flow for all combinable crop supply chains across the UK. It says the benefits include a universal system of returning weight and quality data back to growers.

The key proposal is to replace the existing paper passport with a digital solution. A similar plan ended up being shelved when it was proposed five years ago after farmers and processors failed to reach agreement on data-sharing.

But the AHDB believes that challenge can now be overcome. It is holding a series of webinars throughout October to explain the proposal to growers, storekeepers, merchants, processors, hauliers – and anyone else involved in grain logistics.

Prototype system

The webinar will introduce growers to the Digital Grain Passport – taking farmers through a demonstration of a prototype system so they can see how it will work in practice. The AHDB says there will be time for growers to give feedback and ask questions.

“While it might sound like a daunting change at first, switching to digital will mean you will no longer have to keep a stock of paper passports or worry about not having the right stickers. Everything you need will be available at the touch of a button.”

The AHDB emphasises that a decision on the passport has not yet been made. It says growers will be given their say following a full consultation process with the industry, which includes the October webinars.

In terms of data protection, only those parties involved in each load of grain will be able to access data relating to that load. For more complex arrangements such as string trades, the AHDB said it would ensure a solution acceptable to all parties.

Exploratory work

The proposals have been years in the making. Discussions between key industry trade associations, including the NFU, AIC and UK Flour Millers, led to the AHDB being approached to undertake exploratory work in 2020.

The key objectives were to review the work done during the earlier 2012-2017 pilot project. This was then built on – answering key questions such as how much it would cost to build and implement, and how could it be owned and funded

If the industry decides to go ahead with a digital passport, the new system will be introduced over the coming year. Paper passports would then start to be phased out over a two-year period from September 2023.