NFU president Peter Kendall is calling on all farmers and growers to have their say on how their levy money is spent, by taking part in telephone or online questionnaires.

Kendall said: “This is a real opportunity for farmers and growers to have a say and influence the process of levy body reform.

“The statutory levy bodies are a vital tool to the industry, and with a current spend in the region of £60 million, it’s vital that levies are invested smartly.

“The term levy payer is a tricky one to quantify. Some levy body beneficiaries may not be the ones directly paying it. So I would encourage those involved at all stages of the farm chain who have an interest in levy activity to contribute to this exercise”.

As well as 400 telephone questionnaires, which farmers and growers will be randomly selected for, there will be an online survey where producers with an interest in levy body activity can take part.

Kendall said: “This is an important piece of work and the more feedback received, the more likely it is that these new levy bodies will be truly fit for task.

“You should ask yourself questions like: what are the challenges facing my business? What do the current levy bodies do well? And what are other bodies doing well to address industry challenges?”

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