AHDB Potatoes

The organisation was originally established in 1934 as the Potato Marketing Board by the Potato Marketing Scheme (Approval) Order (Great Britain) 1933, under powers given to potato producers under the Agricultural Marketing Acts of 1931 and 1933. The Scheme was mainly set up as a preventative measure against the unstable market conditions that previously existed in the 1920s and 1930s. With this in mind, the Board was to register producers, prohibit sales by unregistered producers, regulate marketing of the industry, encourage co-operation between sellers and producers and in promoting education and research in the field.[1]

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, the Ministry of Food took control over all agricultural production, including potatoes. With the passing of the Potato Marketing Scheme 1933 (Modification and Suspension) Order 1939, all Board's activities were suspended.[1]

In 1955, the Potato Marketing Scheme (Approval) Order 1955 repealed the previous order and created a new, but very similar entity. Amendments to the scheme commenced in 1962, 1971, 1976, 1985, 1987 and 1990.[1] The Board was largely producer-elected, however had a few ministerial appointees. Many of its powers were delegated to committees such as the Executive Committee and the Retailers' Committee. In 1958, The Board bought former RAF base, RAF Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire, and set up an Agricultural experiment station, now known as Sutton Bridge Crop Storage Research, the biggest centre of its kind in the UK.[1][2][3]

In 1997, under the Potato Industry Development Council Order 1997, the name was changed to the British Potato Council.[1][4] It levied farmers under powers originally delegated from the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947[5] but now through powers granted to its parent organisation.[6] It was also funded through the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) and the National Assembly for Wales Agriculture Department (NAWAD).

In 2005 a report by Daniel Lewis from the Efficiency in Government Unit (jointly sponsored by the Centre for Policy Studies and the Economic Research Council), called The Essential Guide to British Quangos,[7] looked into the role of Quangos in British politics and potential efficiency savings that could be made. The report named the British Potato Council as one of the nine "most useless quangos".[8][9] In 2008, it was merged with other similar levy-funded organisations to form the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, where it operates as a specialist division focused on the potato industry.

Even though it received its £6m[10] funding in 2007 solely from British farmers, it was forced to drop the word "British" from its name due to EU rules. This was to avoid the impression that it receives state subsidies.[11]