Mark Taylor, inaugural Chair of GB Potatoes, reflects on organisation’s journey so far and what the future has to hold as he hands over the role he’s held since its inception.
AS 2024 comes to a close and hopefully the national crop is safely harvested and in store I look to “hand on the batten” as I step-back from industry activity and a new Chair takes on the leadership of GB Potatoes.
I am delighted to announce that Alex Godfrey has accepted the position of Chair (to be ratified at the AGM) which provides great continuity as Alex and I have worked very closely together for the last year.
My thanks and congratulations go to Alex as he takes up his position and looks to drive the organisation forward.
‘Change as a constant’ has never been a truer statement than now.
Regardless of how you felt about the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), and how you subsequently voted, the gap it left was vast and our industry has become fragmented and less effective since its demise. I have lost count of the number of discussions I have had over the past two years where someone has said “I didn’t realise we were going to lose that!”.
Reality today sees the UK potato productive area fall whilst our near EU counterparts are investing and expanding. What’s driving that? Why don’t we have that optimism?
If there was ever a time to come together as an industry, it’s now. Our industry needs a voice to champion its future.
At a recent industry event, I was asked why I remain so positive about our industry. My answer was simple: Why not? To be honest, if we aren’t, who will be?
As GBP we are not, and may never be, perfect, but we are prepared to put ourselves forward to represent our industry on your behalf. Our sector will not prosper unless there is real engagement to embrace collective interest and support each other.
In 2020, the writing was on the wall regarding support (or lack of it) for the AHDB but this also provided both the need and opportunity to consider what came next.
Impacts of Brexit, COVID and the war in Europe all contributed to a de-stabilised financial situation both on the farm and with consumers. Many of those impacts remain today.
The need to stand up and represent the industry took on even greater significance and, as a group of “interested industry colleagues”, the discussion developed to what GB Potatoes is today. I must at this point thank those early sponsors. They know who they are and it wouldn’t have happened without them.
Discussions developed through 2021. It wasn’t to re-invent the AHDB, far from it, but to create a lean and focussed organisation that embraced the whole industry.
Those early months were not easy. Industry colleagues fell into three groups: Firstly the “Great idea -you have my full support” element; second (and by far the largest) group “let’s see what progress you make?”; lastly – the dissenters!
Personally, I don’t have any problem with challenge to our GBP activity, direction or purpose. I’d just ask that any challenges are made in a positive way so we can engage in a discussion to be part of the solution for the future.
I defy anyone to tell me they have all the answers because that’s just not possible. Anyone who felt that day probably wouldn’t be growing potatoes in the first place!
A moment for reflection
I took the Chair’s role in 2022 as we formally created the organisation and put the Board in place, and it’s been both a challenge and privilege to take the organisation this far. But there’s more to do.
Putting a new organisation together from scratch was never going to be easy, and that became clear early in the process. But we have come through that and today we are established with a strong Board and leadership.
Taking a second to reflect on some of our on-going important work, we continue to challenge the new Government’s ability to foster a supportive and resilient environment for farmers and their supply chains.
Words are cheap and it will be actions that support food security targets and the implementation of environmental policies that appropriately place the importance on the value of growing food and retaining our access to our land base. I firmly believe that, to make the progress that’s required, food production and the environment need to be in the same conversation, instead of many unconnected discussions.
GBP remains active and very vocal to champion the conversations around Virus, PCN, future access to water and retention of PPP’s.
One collective voice reflecting cross-industry needs and working together is far more effective than many individual ones and the industry’s focus should now be on re-building relationships across the supply chain and making the planning and commitment discussions much more long-term. Far too much of what we see today leaves us lurching from one season to the next. This is not the basis to build a business plan or consider investment. As an industry, we can do better.
GBP received the residual levy funds to spend on your behalf which constitutes a great piece of work landed as the industry could easily have lost those funds. The projects outlined are vitally important to the whole industry.
These funds are not GBP funds. They belong to the industry and will be spent following consultation with industry on the identified specific projects.
Does this mean GBP has sufficient funds or membership? No. But it’s critically important that we see further support to champion industry needs in the coming years.
So, what can you do? If you are interested in making a positive difference to the UK potato industry, we’d encourage you to join us, and anyone facing challenges or needing more information can talk to our Board members, who are always approachable.
To make this plan succeed I believe there are 3 C’s which we need to work to: Coordination, Cooperation and Collaboration. We are better working together.
As I approach nearly 40 years in the industry, I have taken the decision to step back from many of my industry roles, but I believe I leave GBP in very good hands and wish the UK Potato industry the very best for the future.
