A member of the SCRI Governing Board, Allan Stevenson, has been appointed Chairman of the Potato Council and a main Board Director of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. The appointment runs from 21 July 2008.

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Chairman John Bridge said: “I am delighted to have someone of Allan’s calibre joining the AHDB and Potato Council Boards. We are going through a period of massive change as we build a new more efficient levy board structure and I look forward to his contribution to this process.

Potato Council Chief Executive Helen Priestley said: “The British potato sector is under threat from EU competition. It faces significant challenges such as the reduction in available pesticides and managing soil and water issues. It also must promote the positive nutrition profile of potatoes and fight against rice and pasta for its place in young people’s diets.

“My team and I look forward to working with Allan in shaping the strategies to best deploy levy funds to meet these challenges”.

Allan Stevenson is a director of his own arable farming company which specialises in high quality pre-pack potatoes; he is a qualified chartered accountant and has a wealth of commercial management and corporate governance experience.

The Potato Council is a statutory levy funded company whose purpose is to improve the competitiveness of the potato industry in the UK.  The AHDB is the overall body responsible for the co-ordinated activity of all the sector levy Boards for UK agriculture.