Sugar beet harvest and haulage scheme set for overhaul ahead of next campaign
EADT - Picture Feature and News Picture feature from around Bury St Edmunds British Sugar Beet Factory. pics by Alex Fairfull 21-12-09 MyPhotos24 ref - af 09 bury british sugar 27 EADT 16.1.10
A harvest and haulage scheme for sugar beet growers is set to to be overhauled ahead of the 2018/19 campaign - or harvest - following concerns from farmers.
NEWS / FEATURE - Sarah Chambers Pix Phil Morley 14/9/11 The sugar beet campaign begins at the British Sugar factory in Bury.
British Sugar, which has sugar factories across East Anglia including at Bury St Edmunds, and National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Sugar have announced a series of improvements to the Industry Harvest and Haulage Scheme (IHHS), which was set up by British Sugar in 2010 to provide harvesting and haulage services to sugar beet growers.
Following growers’ concerns about the operation of the scheme, the two organisations jointly funded an independent assessment of each stage of the haulier appointment process in 2017, identifying where greater transparency would benefit growers and hauliers.
The Douglas report made a number of recommendations to improve transparency and understanding, prompting British Sugar to implement a changes ahead of the 2018/19 sugar beet campaign. It said it would communicate details of these to growers “in due course”.
NFU Sugar and British Sugar agreed a set of three principles to underpin the scheme, including a focus on maximising yield potential from farm to factory and continuing to drive efficiencies, and operating the scheme transparently and with “clear, open, honest and timely communication”.· They also agreed to define, communicate and reward best practice.
NFU Sugar board chairman Michael Sly said: “NFU Sugar has maintained for some time that the Industry Harvest and Haulage Scheme (IHHS) has focused on cost reduction at the expense of value to the industry.
“Talking with growers there are plenty of examples of fragmentation in the most recent campaign, which not only goes against the core aims of the scheme, but has been a real financial and logistical burden.
Most Read
- 1 Is this tearoom near Ipswich one of Suffolk’s best-kept secrets?
- 2 What time will the Red Arrows be flying over Suffolk this weekend?
- 3 Plans for two drive-through takeaways in Suffolk town
- 4 New landlord hopes to make Suffolk pub 'centre' of village community
- 5 The former Ipswich players looking for new clubs this summer
- 6 Woman in hospital with life-threatening injuries after serious A143 crash
- 7 Town boss McKenna adds ex-Manchester United player to coaching staff
- 8 WATCH: 'Unplayable' delivery from Suffolk bowler goes viral
- 9 New landlords take over award-winning pub and brewery in Suffolk village
- 10 Revealed: The top serious road crash hotspots in Suffolk
“To remain competitive in the post-quota world, our industry must focus on maximising yield potential from farm to factory. I am pleased that British Sugar has committed both to implementing the Douglas recommendations, and to work with NFU Sugar to make further changes necessary for it to operate against the agreed principles.
British Sugar boss Paul Kenward said he took the Douglas report recommendations “very seriously”.
