Statutory agricultural and horticultural levy rates for 2008/9 announced
Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming, Lord Rooker, today announced that he and Ministers in the Devolved Administrations had approved levy rates proposed by the newly established Agriculture and Horticulture Levy Board for the 2008/9 financial year.
(PressZoom) - Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming, Lord Rooker, today announced that he and Ministers in the Devolved Administrations had approved levy rates proposed by the newly established Agriculture and Horticulture Levy Board for the 2008/9 financial year.
The levy rates for most sectors, including the cereals and oilseeds, beef and lamb ( England only ), milk and potato sectors, will remain the same. The exceptions are the pig sector where there will be a 10p reduction in the producer levy for 2008/9 and the horticulture sector where the levy rates for mushrooms are now differentiated between agaricus and non-agaricus mushrooms.
The levy rates are announced today following consultation a in 2008 by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board on their draft Corporate Plan. Notes to editors 1. Following the Radcliffe Review, Ministers announced that the statutory levies in agriculture and horticulture would continue but that the five existing horticultural and agricultural levy boards would be replaced by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board ( AHDB ) and six wholly owned sector companies with effect from 1 April 2008. The subsidiary companies of AHDB are: HGCA Ltd, the Horticultural Development Company, EBLEX Ltd, DairyCo, BPEX Ltd and the Potato Council Ltd.
2. AHDB’s draft Corporate Plan, including the six sectoral plans and proposed levy rates, was released for consultation in early January this year. A copy of the final version of the Plan is now available from the Defra website via http://defraweb/farm/policy/levy-bodies/index.htm. The plan contains the proposed levy rates for the following sectors: cereals and oilseeds ( GB ), beef and lamb ( England only ), horticulture ( GB ), milk ( GB ), pigs ( England only ) and potatoes ( GB ). Separate arrangements in respect of beef, lamb and pigs will operate in Scotland and Wales.
3. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Order 2008, completed its Parliamentary processes on 29 February 2008. The Order allows that the collection of levies may be delegated to the subsidiary companies and AHDB has stated that from 1 April 2008 levies will be collected by the relevant sector company. Levy raised by a particular sector will be ring fenced for the use of that sector. Copies of the Statutory Instrument are available from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080576_en_1 . A guidance note on the Order can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/levy-bodies/milestones.htm
4. Annual approval by Ministers is required for all levy rates, including the higher rates for late payment of levy. The tables below give the 2008/09 rates to be applied sector by sector, exclusive of VAT.
5. For further information and for specific queries on arrangements for collection of levies, levy payers should consult their existing levy board.
Levy rates by sector Levy rates by sector ( PDF 25 KB ) End
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