The Agri-Food Strategy Board, the industry-led body set up in 2012 to develop a long-term vision for NI agriculture, has met for the final time.

Chaired by the former deputy chief of Dunbia, Tony O’Neill, the board was originally appointed for a three-year term, but has since received three extensions, taking it to the end of August 2017.

That reflects the fact that progress has, at times, been frustratingly slow, particularly around two main outstanding issues – the formation of a new marketing body for NI food, and progress with a new livestock genetics improvement programme. The lack of a functioning executive at Stormont has not helped.

Despite that, over the years some significant pieces of work have been completed under the direction of the board. That includes a sustainable land management strategy produced by a group chaired by Devenish agricultural director John Gilliland and a new TB strategy aimed at eventually eradicating the disease in NI.

However, probably the most notable achievement of the board has been the £250m Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS). Within that are the two capital grant schemes, with a promise of total funding of £190m. But with just £40m allocated in the first two tranches, it remains to be seen if this total funding ever materialises. There is also the ongoing debacle over ammonia emissions, and whether some Tier 2 projects will ever make it through planning.

That leaves the new food marketing body and livestock genetics programme. Crucial to both will be establishing a regular source of funding. A new levy mechanism has been proposed by the board based on the structure (not necessarily the rates) currently used by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in England. It applies a series of levies across different sectors. They tend to be much higher than what is currently taken in NI.

On cattle at slaughter, the AHDB levy is £4.05 per head for producers and £1.35 per head for processors (the current LMC levy is £1 each), on sheep it is 60p and 20p (the current LMC levy is 20p for producers and 10p for factories), on milk it is 0.06p/l, and on grain 46p/t.

It should also be noted that while the Agri-Food Strategy Board is now finished, most of the members are listed as directors of the newly formed NI Food Marketing Association Ltd. They haven’t left the scene entirely.