Blood sucking ahdb

You got any evidence that it was AHDB that sought to weight the individual vote?
Christ highland mule are pr consultant for the ahdb, I will have to apologise for misleading figures for staff wages , I assumed the average salary would be £40,000 hence 20 million, I have taken a good look at the accounts and it appears I was wrong the average is £50,000 hence the figure is 25 million four hundred and ten thousand, also our whistle blower tells us the offices which belong to LaSalle Investment Management cost three quarters of million per annum, I was not too far out with 27 million , and furthermore don’t tell me I know nothing about business I find that very derogatory considering the size of my operation.
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
Christ highland mule are pr consultant for the ahdb, I will have to apologise for misleading figures for staff wages , I assumed the average salary would be £40,000 hence 20 million, I have taken a good look at the accounts and it appears I was wrong the average is £50,000 hence the figure is 25 million four hundred and ten thousand, also our whistle blower tells us the offices which belong to LaSalle Investment Management cost three quarters of million per annum, I was not too far out with 27 million , and furthermore don’t tell me I know nothing about business I find that very derogatory considering the size of my operation.

Nope, you don't get it. And please don't blaspheme either - that's truly offensive to many including myself.

You seem to think and base your sums on some idea that all AHDB staff are admin, whereas the accounts show the truth.

And as for your business acumen - anyone who thinks that turnover is more important than profit and claims 1% margin as being acceptable for an established enterprise isn't someone I respect as a businessman. I stand by my assessment.
 

Stuart J

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
UK
Christ highland mule are pr consultant for the ahdb, I will have to apologise for misleading figures for staff wages , I assumed the average salary would be £40,000 hence 20 million, I have taken a good look at the accounts and it appears I was wrong the average is £50,000 hence the figure is 25 million four hundred and ten thousand, also our whistle blower tells us the offices which belong to LaSalle Investment Management cost three quarters of million per annum, I was not too far out with 27 million , and furthermore don’t tell me I know nothing about business I find that very derogatory considering the size of my operation.

Hang on. You've been canvassing for an abolish vote partly based on your suggestion that ahdb spend 27mil on admin.
The actual figure is about 8mil, which you say is 'close'

Have I got that wrong?
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
Hang on. You've been canvassing for an abolish vote partly based on your suggestion that ahdb spend 27mil on admin.
The actual figure is about 8mil, which you say is 'close'

Have I got that wrong?

No, you've got it right. WR has been slandering the organisation, lying through his keyboard and buying votes with false promises from the start.

@ExAHDBstaff - if you have contacts within the organisation, I would be suggesting that they draw this sort of thing to the attention of the minister, so that he can make his decision from a position of full knowledge.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
WR has been slandering the organisation, lying through his keyboard and buying votes with false promises from the start.

And I suppose the chants of 'Vote for Change' from the AHDB side mean anything? The AHDB are equally lying through their teeth - there would be no change, just business as usual if they won. Same level of levy demanded by force of law, same people working in the AHDB, same salaries, same pensions, same merry-go-round of appointments of their mates from the NFU into nice little sinecures. What sort of change is that?
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
And I suppose the chants of 'Vote for Change' from the AHDB side mean anything? The AHDB are equally lying through their teeth - there would be no change, just business as usual if they won. Same level of levy demanded by force of law, same people working in the AHDB, same salaries, same pensions, same merry-go-round of appointments of their mates from the NFU into nice little sinecures. What sort of change is that?

No, I see a very distinct difference between the two claims. Whatever you claim, AHDB have been changing and evolving as an organisation and continue to do so, perhaps even more so under the new leadership, so that is true even if it is slower than many would like. The position occupied by WR and friends and the multitude of lies thay have said cannot be justified though - and it's interesting that even WR hmself has stopped trying to pretend otherwise - he knows he's lying and in some Trumpesque alternate universe he and you may even feel that the ends justify the means, but I cannot accept that.
 

Goweresque

Member
Location
North Wilts
he and you may even feel that the ends justify the means,

To be honest I do feel that. When you're fighting against the entrenched powers of the Establishment anything goes IMO. They have no qualms about using underhand means to get what they want, and they control all the levers of power, so anything that evens things up a bit is fine by me.
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
To be honest I do feel that. When you're fighting against the entrenched powers of the Establishment anything goes IMO. They have no qualms about using underhand means to get what they want, and they control all the levers of power, so anything that evens things up a bit is fine by me.

That saddens me. We all should be able to hold our own opinions, but not to have our own truths. Thank you for being honest on that matter with me, even if you do condone the destruction of others' livelihoods by WR's lies.
 
That saddens me. We all should be able to hold our own opinions, but not to have our own truths. Thank you for being honest on that matter with me, even if you do condone the destruction of others' livelihoods by WR's lies.
They couldn’t have cared less about what they were doing to growers ,a lot of growers have had baliffs leaning on tractor bonnets, anyway nobody is going to lose their jobs defra look like they are going to fund it , they are now saying that there will probably be a ballot on other sectors , that will be interesting because they don’t know who they are.
 

ExAHDBstaff

Member
Arable Farmer
To be honest I do feel that. When you're fighting against the entrenched powers of the Establishment anything goes IMO. They have no qualms about using underhand means to get what they want, and they control all the levers of power, so anything that evens things up a bit is fine by me.

I can honestly say this bears no resemblance to the organisation I use to work at. The vast, vast majority of staff at AHDB are farming people who have taken a role because they want to work in farming, scientists who for some reason probably known only to them ended up doing a PhD in diseases that effect onions (for example) and a few local people that took jobs in accounts, HR etc. without having a clue what AHDB was. These are not people who believe they are on a gravy train, they are just normal people trying to do a good job.

Yes, there are some highly paid people at the top - people might have views on that, or on them as individuals - but whether you like it or not, as soon as you have an organisation with 450+ people you will have these kinds of roles.

I came on here to correct lies, I see another one has come in while I was writing this post - to my knowledge AHDB has never used it's legal powers to collect the levy and there has never been a grower "with a bailiff on his tractor bonnet".

I don't dispute AHDB should be seen as valuable to levy payers, and I don't dispute that if farmers do not value them then they should vote how they wish.

I makes me incredibly sad that WR and co have sought to paint AHDB in the light that they have because that is not my experience, not even close. I simply do not know why there has been a need to lie so much. My presence here has clearly not helped, so I guess I will save myself the bother from now on. Good luck all.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Is that statement I have highlighted in bold not only ironic but bizarre.

You have fought to remove the burden of the AHDB Horticulture levy from your business, which you have if I recall is some £30,000 per annum - correct me if I am wrong. You and your colleagues rallied support, forced a ballot and it would have appear won, subject to the Ministers approval. Yet are prepared and by sounds of it looking forward to giving that saving to your customers.

No wonder UK Farming is fecked.

If that is what you intend doing then may I say it looks rather as though your fight to get rid of AHDB Horticulture has less to do with the cost of the levy itself, but the very concept of the organisation and the staff employed by it.

It will be surely truly a pyrrhic victory to save 0.5% turnover tax (the levy) to merely pass it over to Lidl/Aldi/Tesco etc. But nothing would surprise me in the veg world.

Best wishes. I look forward to the next chapter in this saga, or maybe Greek Tragedy.

The veg world is a mystery to me - turns over millions of £ for a sub 1% profit while trying to annihilate each other.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
This is the problem. Pictures taken 3.30 this afternoon Potatoes washed prepack with retail price point equivalent to £396 tonne at the retail point. So these potatoes have been delivered to a packer, washed and packed, delivered to Morrisons depot and then to the actual Supermarket and placed on the store shelf. And I doubt Morrisons are losing on the sale. And thus why free buy Whites are £60 tonne ex farm. Saving a bit of AHDB levy might help (?!) but ain't gonna be the game changer. Especially if you then give the levy to Morrisons. Ah well.

That is logic beyond the tunnel thinking of White rabbit and his chums, but absolutely correct
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
You are fast becoming in the minority Stuart j.

To be fair, @Stuart J (and I, for that matter) are the present and future of UK agriculture. To all intents and purposes, you, Mr Thorrold, will not feel the effects of your constant trouble making down the line.

Harsh? Maybe. Truthful? Without doubt. Uncomfortable for you to admit? For sure.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62


It seems the non potato growers know everything there is to know about potato growing and the wishes of growers.

That's enough now veg/flower men, let us make our own minds up.

Thank you

(did you pass the cap round outside Tesco to fund this? Apparently you all turnover umpteen million but only make about £2.50 between you, while other veg growers do it for fun. ***discaimer****Made up figures, so it fits with your general behaviour, and on the back of your comments further up the thread.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 76 43.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,284
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top