ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a number of other benefits to benchmarking which enhance its overall value to the agricultural supply chain at a variety of points in the chain. It looks at what those benefits are and how different benchmarking schemes deliver them. The chapter examines how the United Kingdom (UK) stacks up against other countries in terms of the benchmarking schemes available to farmers and agricultural professionals. Mass participation by farmers in benchmarking schemes requires that participating farmers achieve specific and measurable benefits. The benefits which are most highly valued are those which contribute to increased profitability of the farm enterprise and increased competitiveness in comparison with their local, regional and international competitors. The ability to encourage and deliver benchmarking services within these relationships with farmers is seen to be a highly successful method in terms of raising awareness as to the benefits, assisting farmers in collating the necessary data, and interpreting the results.
