Digital Passport FAQs

Yes, it is genuine. It is inevitable in these sort of development processes that something (hopefully minor) will have been missed. This is the reason for an industry-wide consultation. The Leadership Group is listening and will make amends where the consultation identifies they are needed.

The Leadership Group organisations and trade associations will be taking feedback from their members. For non-members there is a form on the AHDB website. Once the consultation has ended the Leadership Group is responsible for next steps including reviewing all feedback from members and non-members and deciding whether the business case needs to be revised. They will also be responsible for organising funding for the DP, including approaching the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds sector council for levy funding.

A consortium will be set up comprising the key parties represented on the current Leadership group, plus AHDB:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
• Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• National Farmers’ Union (NFU)
• National Farmers’ Union Scotland (NFUS)
• Seed Crushers & Oil Processors Association (SCOPA)
• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

This is the same model (with different parties) which has worked successfully for the AHDB Recommended Lists for many years. Under this model, AHDB would be the legal entity owning the DP system and database on behalf of the consortium and industry.

Find out about who will own the DP system.

A similar structure of industry representative groups would be set up mirroring the structure used in working through 2023 to prepare the DP business case:

• An ownership group will replace the current Leadership Group and would provide senior level industry leadership and act as the consortium management group.
• A system governance group would succeed the current Development Group. It would act as the interface between AHDB, the system build contractor and wider industry, overseeing the system build, reviewing options and taking decisions to ensure the system works effectively for all.
• A data governance group will oversee all matters relating to data security, visibility, transparency, sharing, quality and permissions.

Find out more about who will govern the DP system.

Under the consortium ownership model, the day-to-day system operation and management oversight would be by individuals employed by AHDB. This includes working with the appointed system build contractor and the System Governance Group through the build phase, and beyond that into the ‘business as usual’ (BAU) phase. AHDB would also provide the customer support helpdesk function, supporting industry through the transition and beyond. AHDB would operate and manage the system day-to-day based on key input and decisions taken by the three representative industry groups.

Find out more about who will operate the DP system.

The Leadership Group’s preference is for a combination of statutory AHDB cereals and oilseeds levy and pursuing options for grant funding from Defra or other potential grant providers to fund the development phase.

Find out more about how the development phase is funded.

The costs to support and maintain the DP in the BAU phase will be funded by a combination of statutory levy and DP usage charges (for non-levy payers and those trading non-levied crops).

Find out more about how the long-term running costs will be funded.

The Leadership Group have agreed that any non-levy paying businesses or businesses trading non-levied crops will need to pay according to the number of passports used. This will include domestically grown combinable peas and beans, and imported unprocessed combinable crops such as wheat, barley, maize and oilseed rape. It will also include processors of domestically grown oilseed rape.

Find out more about how payments for use of the system will work.

The winning tender from 2021 included a cost of £500k to build the more complex system which industry previously required. This includes the cost to develop the core database and web portal, the mobile app and the systems integration platform. A fresh procurement process is being undertaken through winter 2023/24 based on industry’s revised requirements. When the winning bidder is known, the development cost will be shared with industry.

Find out more about what it will cost to develop the DP system.

The annual projected gross running cost is £396k including the industry support function and a share of the initial £500k build cost amortised over ten years. This will be reduced by the DP charge income and if Defra grant funding is secured.

Find out more about the costs for runnning the system annually.

The costs are very similar. The costs of printing and distributing paper passports and stickers is calculated to be £337k or 1.57p per tonne. The gross annual running cost for the digital passport is £396k or 1.84p per tonne. However, there are further cost savings envisaged by switching to a digital passport which take the saving from £337k to £672k or 3.1p per tonne.

Find out more about the cost comparision of the digital and paper passports.

Only those businesses who do not have a computer or smartphone will need to invest in equipment in order to access the DP. This is expected to be between 5 and 8% for growers, hauliers and recipients. For individual businesses this is expected to be a one-off cost of between £250 and £500.

Find out more about the industry implementation costs.

Wherever possible, AHDB and the system build contractor will work with proprietary software suppliers to put in place an integration solution which can be rolled out to all users of the software. This is efficient and achievable and will result in a low or no cost integration solution. For companies with bespoke software, each business will need to develop their own integration solution. Experience in the 2015 pilot showed that this could be achieved with between 40 and 70 hours of time from in-house IT teams. Costing this time at £50/hr amounts to between £2,000 and £3,500 per company.

Find out more about any costs to integrate the DP with your software.

The simplified process agreed by the Development Group means all passports will be created by the sender (grower or storekeeper) to reflect how the paper passport system currently works. The responsibility for creating passports remains with the grower/storekeeper.

Find out more about who starts the DP creation process.

Yes. The DP system will generate a unique ID for each passport visible to everyone involved. Each party - processor, merchant, haulier and grower can add their own reference numbers, visible to the other parties. Processor and merchant contract numbers can be added for cross-reference purposes.

Find out more about the reference information displayed on the DP.

No. Whether a passport is required, digital or paper, is a matter for the contracting parties. If it is deemed necessary that a digital passport is required for non-assured grain movements the DP will follow the TASCC scheme rules which describe how this works.

Yes. Using the online web portal, growers and storekeepers can populate passports in the system ahead of time. Once the lorry arrives, the passport with your completed information will need to be transferred to the driver.

No. The loader or storekeeper must be present at loading to inspect the vehicle and complete the declaration confirming the vehicle is fit to be loaded before passing the digital passport over to the driver from their device. However, most passport data can be pre-populated remotely before the vehicle arrives.

Find out more about who needs to be present at the data collection point.

Yes. Using the online web portal, growers and storekeepers can duplicate a passport in the DP system to populate multiple similar passports quickly, without repeatedly entering the same information.

Yes. The driver will be able to do all they need to do on collection day via their own device. The haulage office has an option to add information on behalf of their driver in extenuating circumstances and will be able to view data added.

Yes. Or at least a device capable of hosting the DP app and connecting to the internet. This will be used to capture the data that drivers are required to enter including their declaration. Handheld technology will be required at collection and intake to enable passport transfer between parties mirroring the transfer of paper passports today. The process will require everyone across all supply chains to be prepared to use digital technology such as computers or smartphones to enter data.

Find out more about the technology requirements for the DP.

No. The simplified process has been designed to closely replicate the paper passport process therefore each supply chain participant has responsibility to enter their data fully and accurately as within the current process. The DP system will be built with controls ensuring that each stage of the passport must be completed before progressing to the next.

One of the key benefits of a universal digital passport system is to avoid proliferation of individual supply chain digital passport systems. Some grain merchants already have digital systems for communicating data (other than passport data) with growers. One of the key features of the proposed DP system is potential integration with existing software. Businesses choosing this option will benefit from automatic data flow in both directions between systems with no duplication of effort.

Find out more about the automatic data flow with Digital Passports.

Yes. Both the grower/storekeeper and driver will be able to review and update their data up to the point they complete their declarations. From that point, it will be necessary to exercise control over how data can be updated by the helpdesk service including what data, under what circumstances and when.

Yes. For off-farm stores permitting deliveries based on one passport per crop, per day, per vehicle, per farm will be accommodated. The same passport would be used and accepted multiple times per day by the recipient (where all details on a passport remain consistent and there is an agreement in place to operate this way). The detail on how passport ID numbers would work for this type of movement needs to be decided by industry.

Yes. This will follow the same sender led process used for grain moving from farm to processors. This will work for both self-hauled and contract hauled loads.

Yes. There will be multiple options in the event of a rejection, including redirection, return to sender, accept under a different contract, send to a cleaner, and retest and accept after initial rejection. If the load is redirected, the same passport will move with the load as happens today with the paper system, the rejection details will be shared with the second recipient in the case of a food and feed safety rejection but not in the case of a quality rejection.

Yes. The receiver details will only be entered onto the passport once the grain arrives at intake and so if a load is redirected en route this will not require an adjustment to the passport. If the load is rejected and then redirected as a result the second recipient will not know the load had previously been rejected unless it was a rejection for food and feed safety reasons.

Yes. The same passport would remain available to cover the journey back to the sender as with the paper system.

Yes. Whether a passport is required, digital or paper, is a matter for the contracting parties. If it is deemed necessary, that a digital passport is required for port movements the TASCC scheme rules describe how this should work.

Yes. In the same way that they do with the paper system, the sender will be the central store supplying the grain. They will initiate passports for all loads moving out of store.

Yes. The receiving farm will need to set itself up as a recipient. The passport will be created by the sender and depending on whether sender or receiver are hauling the grain will depend on who fills in the transporter details.

Yes. With the simplified sender led process, last-minute changes will be easily handled because passports are not linked to fixings or contracts until loads have been delivered rather than at point of creation.

Yes. The system will perform real-time assurance status checks relying on third-party integration with Red Tractor, Scottish Quality Crops, TASCC and UFAS databases. In the event of a breakdown between these databases and the DP system, or if internet access is not available, the system will indicate the date and time of the last status checks. For real-time checks to be performed at intake, an internet connection must be available.

Find out more about DP assurance status.

Data entered into the system will be owned by the party that entered it. How this data is used will be initially for the purposes of passing data through the system and for collating data into aggregated and anonymised dataset for food and feed safety/security purposes. Data users will be represented on the Data Governance Group and will have the ability to control how their data is used. There will be a set of validation thresholds to ensure all data aggregated into larger datasets cannot identify, or impinge on the commercial interests of, one party.

Find out more about who owns the data.

Data management will be overseen by a Data Governance Group made up of representatives of all those who input and own data within the DP system. In addition to industry representatives, data specialists will be invited to join the group alongside AHDB’s Data Protection Officer. This group will have complete oversight of all aspects relating to data including what data is required to be shared via the digital passport, system security standards, GDPR, data quality and transparency and ensuring that data is fed back to growers in real-time as defined in the business case. Four different data ‘permissions’ have been outlined in the business case. The first two covering sharing data in day-to-day passport usage and quality data feedback and sharing aggregated data in the event of a food and feed safety investigation will be put in place from day one. Further permissions around aggregated and anonymised industry data usage and usage by third parties are ruled out at the start but will be discussed later during rollout as required by industry.

Find out more about who governs the data.

Yes, this is industry’s aspiration. In this context the business case defines ‘real-time’ as making quality data available to growers via the DP as soon as that data is known by the recipient. However, there will be multiple definitions of this, especially during the transition. Some intakes, particularly those which cannot be integrated with the DP, will have different abilities to pass back data quickly due to their technological capabilities and whether internet connection is available or not.

Find out more about DP real-time data.

No. As the merchant has a much-reduced role in the simplified DP process, in the case of string trades, weight and quality data will only be passed back to the merchant selling to the recipient. If this data is required to be shared with other merchants in the string, parties will do this outside of the DP system as they do today. As the DP system has no way of identifying whether a passport is for a string traded load or not, the identity of the Sender and Transporter will not be visible to the Merchant on completed passports for any type of load. This ensures that the DP does not increase the visibility of sender and transporter details to those merchants who do not have access to this information with the paper system today.

Find out more about who has access to which pieces of information.

Yes. The DP will be developed to cope with high traffic. All users will register and log in with their own username and password. The mobile app will make use of smartphone security technology where possible, e.g., biometrics. The system will have firewalls to protect against security attacks and use encryption to secure data. The project team have consulted the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) who have shared their advice for security measures which have been factored into a security specification which can be shared with industry, contact the AHDB team for more information. Security testing will be carried out during the development process, including periodic penetration tests by an independent third party.

Find out more about how your data will be protected.

Yes. The DP will be built using Microsoft technology, tried, and tested worldwide. AHDB has an established relationship with Microsoft, who are available to support the DP system development.

AHDB will run an open tender process on behalf of the Leadership Group. This will run in parallel to the consultation. No contract will be signed until and unless the Leadership Group decide the digital passport is going ahead, and only when funding is secured, including the option of levy funding from the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds sector council. The contract will be awarded for three years initially and will cover the build phase and the industry rollout. There will be options to extend this contract or run a new procurement process to appoint a new supplier at the three-year point depending on the Leadership Group’s requirements at the time.

Yes. Growers can set up as many company users as they require. All users will have their own user ID (email address) and password.

Yes. The use of QR codes is being investigated alongside other technology as a method of identifying a specific passport and verifying users’ identity before passing a passport from one user to the next.

No. However depending on your business there could be benefits in doing so. If you wish to buy software that integrates with the DP this could save time and cost associated with performing manual processes. Systems integration will be entirely optional.

Yes. The DP workflow will work without connectivity at collection point and intake as the system will be designed to allow transfer of data between devices offline. Drivers can leave the collection point with a passport saved to their device which will automatically upload to the DP database when the device finds data signal. Where there is no connectivity at intake, passports will be transferred from drivers’ devices to intake devices offline. However, intake devices will need internet access to synchronise data daily. As a last resort the telephone help desk service can process passports for exceptions.

Find out more about how the system works offline.

Yes. One of the key features of the proposed digital passport system is that it can integrate with existing software and digital systems. This will be optional and businesses choosing to integrate will benefit from automatic data flow in both directions between systems with no duplication of effort.

Yes. The majority of DP functionality will be available as industry standard using Restful Web Services, a high-performance and robust industry standard for APIs. Communication between systems and the DP APIs will be encrypted. Users and systems will be secured using an authentication standard called OAuth 2.0. All API documentation will be available online, and technical support will be in place to assist technology teams to integrate your systems with the DP.

Find out more about the integration of the DP with your systems.

Yes. DP will be built in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which means considering a range of disabilities including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities, when designing the system.

Find out more about how the DP is built inline with Accessibility guidelines.

Yes. It is essential that supply chain individuals input into every stage of the design and build ensuring that the system does what industry needs it to do as efficiently as possible.

Find out more about data input along the supply chain.

The foundations for this are already in place by the formation of the Development Group. To successfully build a system meeting industry’s requirement we will need regular input from across the supply chain.

It will mean a commitment throughout the build period, working in fortnightly cycles. Routine communication between industry and AHDB’s Product Owner will provide an understanding of the quirks and nuances of the system.

Regular and timely testing is important, and industry stakeholder involvement is essential to identify complications or areas requiring further work.

Working in two-week iterations will mean a regular time commitment for those committing to support development. We will co-ordinate this carefully, ensuring we are working with the right part of the supply chain depending on what is being developed.

We expect a minimum of four hours commitment over any two-week period. This could be higher if site visits are required to understand a specific process.

A key responsibility will be to provide AHDB’s Product Owner with feedback to make sure the best decisions are made on behalf of industry, and that functionality is signed off only when it meets industry’s requirements.

Find out more about the DP development group.

Yes. An effective DP system will mean that papers do not get lost, all fields will be completed, and assurance status is checked in real time minimising delays at collection and delivery. A key established principle is not to go further than establishing a platform allowing data to move both ways through supply chains and just to digitise the paper passport. This means wherever a paper passport is currently used, a digital passport will be used in future. It will be up to wider industry to decide on its future development. 

Yes, the system will work most simply with a sender and transporter device at collection point however back-up solutions where this is not possible will be explored more fully during the development phase. Where one or the other is not available the telephone help desk service can process passports for exceptions.

Yes. This will be a key requirement, especially through the rollout phase when a significant number of companies and individuals start using the system for the first time. This will be available both by phone and email.

Find out more about how the system is supported.

An appropriate support structure will be available out of standard office hours to reflect the fact that grain movements take place at all times of day and seven days a week especially at harvest.

Yes. The way the system is built, hosted and operated will mean the likelihood of failure is reduced to an absolute minimum and that emergency processes are in place to keep grain moving. This will include out of hours developer resource, particularly through the beta testing and rollout phase, to fix bugs or issues. Built-in alerts will ensure timely reaction to issues, keeping potential downtime to a minimum. The priority will be to get users back online as soon as possible, as well as addressing the underlying issues causing the problem. In the case of the system going down, it would be back online approximately five minutes after it had been restarted. Regular data backups will be taken of the DP database and restored in the event of data loss. Planned maintenance and releases will be scheduled at designated times out of hours.

Yes. The system will be available for use 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Yes. A range of training materials will be available. Successful uptake by companies and their employees relies on individuals accessing materials and resources to understand how to use the system. AHDB will work with the developer and industry to ensure this training and the associated materials and resources are widely available and effective.

Find out more about the training available.