Digital Passport 2024

The business case for a universal digital passport is currently being updated.

Find out the latest developments

The Digital Passport (DP) Leadership Group has continued to meet over recent months, focus areas include:

• Preparation of the business case seeking funding from Defra
• Meeting the Leadership Group and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Sector Council’s requirements
• Discussions with stakeholders in Scotland and Northern Ireland. If the digital passport goes ahead, it will initially operate in England and Wales only

Adoption of a digital passport is founded on securing grant funding to cover the build, roll-out and initial running costs.

Consultation (2023/24)

The Digital Passport (DP) Leadership Group, supported by the Development and Data Groups, reviewed and discussed all 79 questions submitted during the industry-wide consultation. The consultation closed in February 2024, and over 400 farm businesses and 50 supply chain businesses asked questions.

The consultation revealed that industry is not faced with a choice between paper or digital passports. Instead, the choice is whether it is preferrable to have a single, universal, industry-wide digital passport, or several different digital passports introduced by processors and merchants, to meet their own requirements.

Significant changes were made to the business case, these include:

• Feedback of quality data to growers is now an obligation
• The withdrawal of SCOPA from the Leadership Group: SCOPA are unable to support the return of weight and quality data through the DP system at this time
• Financials have been honed including the requirement for grant funding for the build, roll-out and initial running costs
• A process has been developed for growers with no computer or smartphone to use digital passports via the telephone helpdesk

If you have any feedback, please contact one of the Leadership Group organisations below.

As of 4 June 2024, the Seed Crushers & Oil Processors Association (SCOPA) withdrew from the Leadership Group. At this time, SCOPA are unable to support the reworded proposals and specifically the obligation to feedback weight and quality data in real-time through the DP system. This means oilseeds deliveries into crushing plants operated by SCOPA members will not require a digital passport. This also means SCOPA will not form part of the ownership consortium and that they have withdrawn from the Leadership Group as of June 2024.

The way in which SCOPA members require food and feed safety information to be shared with them is now outside the scope of this business case. If the rest of industry decide to proceed with the digital passport proposals in this business case, SCOPA members will discuss and agree their requirements with their supply base.

The Leadership Group would like to thank SCOPA for their commitment in the formation of the business case and are grateful to their representatives for involvement in the Leadership, Development and Data Groups. SCOPA representatives are listed below in acknowledgment of their work to date.

Stakeholders with questions about the use of passports, when trading with SCOPA members, should contact the trade association directly.

Industry DP Leadership Group

This group is chaired by AHDB Board member, Stephen Briggs. It meets weekly and comprises:

• Robert Sheasby and Jonathan Lane (Agricultural Industries Confederation)
• Julian South (Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain) 
• Luke Cox and Jamie Burrows (NFU) 
• Andrew Connon, Jack Stevenson and Willie Thomson (NFU Scotland)  – representation ceased October 2024
• Alistair Gale and George Mason (UK Flour Millers) 
• Philip Kimber (SCOPA) – representation ceased 4 June 2024

Progress is being made and industry individuals are stepping forward to take the lead in several areas, e.g. in chairing and facilitating subgroups. AHDB is acting in a supporting role, ensuring that all relevant information from preceding project stages is available.

Development Group

This group is chaired by George Mason, Heygates. Its purpose is to:

• Ensure the DP is fit for purpose, including following a load of grain through the passport process and will focus on ensuring that a digital system has the capability and ease of use to satisfy all users’ needs
• Agree what data needs to be collected and contained within the system and how data flows through the system in order for the DP to work effectively 
• Consult with all parts of the supply chain to map out existing processes and data flows
• Establish implementation costs for both industry and the system  
• Establish if and where extra work may fall in the supply chain 
• Document the improvements in moving from a paper passport to a digital passport to the comms group for articulation in the business case 
• Identify macro issues to be resolved before the business case can be agreed  
• Identify micro issues to be resolved during any build phase

The Development Group comprises:

Data Group

This group is chaired by grower, Matt Culley. It will focus on who owns the data, how it is used, which parties can see which data and how future decisions on data governance will be made.

In addition, the group’s purpose is to: 

• Develop proposals on all matters relating to data governance and sharing 
• Review the earlier Agrimetrics data governance framework 
  Download the Agrimetrics presentation in PowerPoint
• Discuss and propose to the Leadership Group the principles for acceptable levels of transparency, taking into account the risks and benefits across supply chains 
• Discuss and propose to the Leadership Group if, and under what terms and conditions, it might be acceptable to look at and use aggregated industry-wide data 
• Propose to the Leadership Group how decisions about how any changes to what data is shared will be made  
• Determine what data will be shared within a supply chain and in which direction 
• Clarify ownership and control of data  
• Review how data will be kept secure

The Data Group comprises:

Where has the idea for a Digital Passport come from?

Discussions between key industry trade associations, including the NFU, AIC and UK Flour Millers, led to 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 and to build on that, answering key questions such as how much it would cost to build and implement, and how could it be owned and funded.

Industry stakeholder representation

These trade associations play a key role in communicating industry views to the Leadership Group and project progress to member businesses.

Note: Discussions with stakeholders in Northern Ireland have shown that digital passports are not a priority at present and therefore will not be in scope for the first phase.

Get in touch

If you require assistance or have any questions, please email digitalpassportconsultation@ahdb.org.uk.