Nicholas Saphir has been reappointed as the chair of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) for one year until the end of March 2024.
A statement by AHDB said, ‘This is a Ministerial appointment, made by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which has been approved by Ministers in the Scottish Government and Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive.’
Mr Saphir, who has been involved at all levels of the food and farming sector around the world, was first appointed chair of AHDB in 2020 and was unable to convince horticulture and potato growers of the benefits of remaining part of the statutory levy board when votes were held on these sectors a year later.
Commenting on his reappointment, Nicholas Saphir, said, “I’m delighted to extend my term as Chair of the AHDB at this defining time for UK agriculture. The AHDB has a vital role to play in helping our levy payers meet the challenges that lie ahead. The organisation has been through a radical period of change including delivering better value and more targeted services, which levy payers have highlighted as priorities.
“The recent launch of the new strategies for the Beef & Lamb, Cereals and Oilseeds, Dairy and Pork sectors underpin our commitment to listen and deliver. I look forward to being part of the next stage of the journey in facing up to the challenges and helping levy payers take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.”
AHDB Chief Executive, Tim Rycroft, added, “Nicholas’ agricultural and commercial experience has been invaluable in helping me restructure and re-focus AHDB to deliver better value. The AHDB team and I are looking forward to continuing working with him on the next stage of that journey.”