A proposal to modernise grain traceability in England and Wales took another step with the Digital Passport Leadership Group producing a business case for their plans in "Digital Passport 2025".
This document paves the way for a meeting with Defra in March 2025, and ultimately, a funding request to Minister Daniel Zeichner to secure the three-year development and rollout of the system. The core aim of the group is to modernise how data is managed and shared across the supply chain, with a move from paper to digital passports for enhanced food and feed safety, traceability, and supply chain transparency. The current paper-based system, in place since the 1980s, is prone to errors, while a digital system offers real-time data exchange, so all parties have accurate and up-to-date information. What's more the industry could save approximately £652,000 annually by eliminating costs associated with printing and distributing paper passports.
Key Benefits:
- Enhanced Safety and Traceability with digital passports reducing the risk of illegible or incomplete data, which can compromise food safety.
- Real-time assurance checks and automated data sharing improve the integrity of the supply chain.
- Efficiency and Cost Savings by automating data entry and check,s reduceing manual errors and saveing time
- Data-Driven decision making:
- Real-time access to weight and quality data allows growers to optimize their supplies and reduce rejections.
- Aggregated and anonymized data can be used for industry-wide analysis, benefiting all stakeholders.
