The redistribution of red meat levies to take account of cross-border livestock movements between England, Wales and Scotland has been agreed by all three nations.
The three red meat levy boards, the AHDB, Meat Promotion Wales/Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC), and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), have developed calculations for the cross-border movement to slaughter of cattle, sheep and pigs.
The changes will be implemented from next month, with Scotland and Wales receiving more than £1m from English abattoirs.
The move seeks to address the imbalance in the current system where levy is collected in the country of slaughter without taking into account the country where the animal spent a significant part of its life.
It only applies to the proportion of levy collected from farmers and is to come into effect at the start of the 2021/2022 financial year.
It has been an objective for all three boards to have direct control over all levies from home-producers for domestic marketing campaigns, industry development and export activities.
However, all three organisations say they plan to maintain their commitment to collaborative projects.
AHDB chief strategy officer Will Jackson said: “Whilst we welcome the reformed levy distribution mechanism, we are committed to continuing our collaborative approach to working."
Gwyn Howells, chief executive of HCC added: “It’s been a long journey to achieve clearer accountability and transparency in the way the red meat producer levy is distributed, and to fairly reflect the devolved nature of agriculture.
“This change will help HCC provide best value for the levy contributed by farmers in Wales and place us in a stronger position to promote our iconic Welsh brands and deliver for our industry.”
