Andrew Blenkiron

Two Tone · Mar 23, 2021

Brisel said:
Which were you?!

I’d left the NFU way before I’d even started. So there was no chance of any greasy pole climbing for me.

At that time, one of the ACCS assessors asked me if he failed me, would I mention it in FW.
Like an idiot I said no and he then failed me 3 years on the trot! We had never failed before, or since!
That last time I was so angry that I rang his Boss and the failure was immediately overruled!

The reason was that we failed because of no frost protection in the Chem store. It just so happened that I had a role of hessian in it, that could have been used to protect the cans from frost.

But aside from this fact, our Chem store was a metal shed designed to be moved by a forklift. I claimed that if it had been frosty, I could have moved this shed into a barn to protect it. It wasn’t frosty the day of that assessment, but according to him, that didn’t matter and he still failed us.

The following year, he was assessed while I was being assessed and he passed us.
Obviously bored and/or shamed, he never came here again!
The sort of tool that keeps walking round and round the yard until he can find something to fail you on - even though he passed that bit the previous year.

No doubt, he’s the sort of utter twit that now writes the rules for RT!

Ironically, his Boss took over for the next few years and we got on very well. I believe he was the same guy that assessed for @Clive. Eventually he gave the job up. I’m reasonably certain this was because he didn’t want to be a part of such a ridiculous organisation as RT any longer.

Doc · Mar 23, 2021

The FA forms require ‘a’ Vet to sign they have visited the farm within the last 12 months. This of course could be the XL farm care TB testing Vets, not the local practice. On the dairy RT there is a declaration you have ‘seen’ the various classes of stock- Bulls, cows, stirks, calves etc.
Not surprising the BVA and Vet profession have thought it’s a great idea to visit farms to ‘ inspect’ stock for, you know, the sake of it (and an invoice). It is actually completely meaningless. You could ‘visit’ the farm to check the cat, or have a cup of tea. It would still be ok to sign.
The whole thing is a misleading, disingenuous joke.

Two Tone · Mar 23, 2021

alex04w said:
I have had a look at the Advertising Standards Authority website about how to make a complaint. It seems fairly easy and is done online via their reporting form.

You must state if you are
1 a member of the public
2 complaining about a competitor
3 complaining on behalf of an organisation or body with a direct interest in the subject

I have gone with 1 - a member of the public

It then asks where the advert was seen. Various options are available - TV, email, post, billboard, shop window, radio, newspaper, cinema, messaging app, etc. For each option is asks for where and when seen, including dates and times. As this is a TV advert I have selected that. However, I have only seen the advert on TFF, so can someone give me a time and date for when it was on TV?

There is then a box to fill in to clearly state you complaint. I am proposing to write the following. Any comments welcome (I think!)

Red Tractor Assured Standard are running a new TV advertising campaign. The advert is also across social media and YouTube. The advert makes a number of false claims.

1 They claim that Red Tractor assured products provide traceability from "field to store". This is not true, particularly in relation to cereals. Imported cereals are only assured from the point of entry into the UK on importers self certification. Red Tractor does not inspect the 'field' that imported cereals are grown in.

2 Red Tractor claims the being Red Tractor Assured means the product is "British for sure". This is again false. Mills can import cereals from overseas, and the product can still be Red Tractor Assured if the cereal is certified from point of import to the mill. This does not mean the cereal becomes 'British for sure'. Likewise a cow or sheep only has to be on an assured farm for 90 days to be assured. A cow or sheep can be imported and added to a farm. It it stays there 60 days for sheep and 90 days for cattle it is assured. Again this does not mean it is 'British for sure'. It could mean it is on a British farm for less than a tenth of its life. This does not make is 'British for sure' in the way that the public would understand it. It is misleading to claim that being Red Tractor Assured makes something 'British for sure'.

3 The advert refers to "all our cows". Red Tractor is an assurance scheme and it does not own any cows. The farmers who Red Tractor inspect and provide assurance for own the cows. It is false for Red Tractor to refer to the cows as 'our cows'.

4 The advert refers to "all our cows have a health plan". Red Tractor requires assured farmers to have a health plan signed off by a vet. The vet does not even have to visit the farm to sign off this generic type health plan. All the health plan says is that the farmer has met standards that are already law. Red Tractor does not impose any health requirements above what is already law.

5 The adverts refers to "all our cows have a health plan and a personal vet". This is false. There is no requirement for a cow to have a 'personal vet'. As stated above, a vet must sign off a generic health plan for a farm. It can be so generic that the vet can even do it without visiting the farm. This is a long way from meaning that each cow has a 'personal vet'. Red Tractor does not tie a farm to a specific vet. A different vet or vets from different practices could visit a farm every time the farmer needed veterinary assistance. This is a long way from every cow having its own 'personal vet' The advert is false in claiming that every assured cow has a 'personal vet'.

Have I missed anything or got anything wrong.

I am more than happy for other members to copy the above to submit their own complaints.

Very well done!

I can think of one point that you might wish to add to point 1:
Many livestock products (eggs, meat and dairy) will have been fed on imported, in reality unassured grain, such as soya and other feed products that cannot or are not regularly be grown in the UK.

You might also consider mentioning that there is no, or very little market for unassured grain in the UK.
What market that exists for any UK grown unassured grain, suffers a substantial discount in price compared to UK grown Red Tractor assured grains.
Whereas any imported, in reality unassured grains are priced at the same level of UK assured grains. Therefore there is no premium whatsoever for any UK grains that are Red Tractor assured, despite the substantial extra costs and stress, by being in effect “forced to be Red Tractor Assured” involves nearly all UK farmers with, to be able to market and sell their grain.
All safety, welfare and food standards of which, are already covered by UK legislation and separately inspected by Government officials, without any need or necessity for Red Tractor assurance.
Therefore Red Tractor assured food is meaningless and is nothing more than a false marketing gimmick to fool the general public into buying food that isn’t in reality, in any way any better than any other UK produced food.
Red Tractor Assurance has been falsely imposed upon British farmers, without good reason, to create a so called brand of absolutely no benefit whatsoever to anybody, be they the farmer or the consumer.

Tarw Coch · Mar 24, 2021

Doc said:
The FA forms require ‘a’ Vet to sign they have visited the farm within the last 12 months. This of course could be the XL farm care TB testing Vets, not the local practice. On the dairy RT there is a declaration you have ‘seen’ the various classes of stock- Bulls, cows, stirks, calves etc.
Not surprising the BVA and Vet profession have thought it’s a great idea to visit farms to ‘ inspect’ stock for, you know, the sake of it (and an invoice). It is actually completely meaningless. You could ‘visit’ the farm to check the cat, or have a cup of tea. It would still be ok to sign.
The whole thing is a misleading, disingenuous joke.

There can’t be many dairy farms that go a 12 months without a vet visit and many of us will have routine fertility visits, frequency depending on type and size of farm, some as often as weekly some more seasonal. One of the fringe benefits of these visits is anything else on your mind can be discussed with the vet whilst on farm, I often pick the vets brain whilst he’s scanning cows.
I’m sure much of the stuff I talk over during a routine visit would be forgot about by the time of an annual review which I consider to be a largely pointless paperwork excercise

alex04w · Mar 24, 2021

@Henarar

It has been raised a couple of times now - can a foreign born cow become Farm Quality Assured.

I had a search online and could not get a clear answer. So I emailed Farm Quality Assurance in NI and got an answer. The reason I could not find a clear answer online is because the answer is a fudge!

To paraphrase - An animal born in any EU member state, can achieve Assured Status provided they meet the residency requirement of 90 days, pass through an assured supply chain and meet the product standard. HOWEVER, only cattle born and reared in NI, which are certified against the required product standard are eligible to carry the Red Tractor logo.

So in summary - foreign animals can be farm quality assured, however they cannot carry the Red Tractor logo! I guess Red Tractor will be the same.

JP1 · Mar 24, 2021

alex04w said:
@Henarar

It has been raised a couple of times now - can a foreign born cow become Farm Quality Assured.

I had a search online and could not get a clear answer. So I emailed Farm Quality Assurance in NI and got an answer. The reason I could not find a clear answer online is because the answer is a fudge!

To paraphrase - An animal born in any EU member state, can achieve Assured Status provided they meet the residency requirement of 90 days, pass through an assured supply chain and meet the product standard. HOWEVER, only cattle born and reared in NI, which are certified against the required product standard are eligible to carry the Red Tractor logo.

So in summary - foreign animals can be farm quality assured, however they cannot carry the Red Tractor logo! I guess Red Tractor will be the same.

Presumably the Eire / NI position gives RT a conflict compared with the rest of imports from other EU countries now and in the past so they have to fudge I guess

AIMS · Mar 24, 2021

This what it says on page 51 of the attached
. For an animal to be considered assured it must derive from a farm holding, assured under the specie specifc RTA for Farms Schemes or other RTA recognised equivalent schemes.
b. For an animal to be considered farm assured it must have been on the assured farm for the specie specifc minimum residency period.
– Cattle must have been kept on an assured farm(s) for a minimum period of 90 days before slaughter. (NB- This period may be shared between more than one assured farm).
– Sheep must have been kept on an assured farm(s) for a minimum period of 60 days before slaughter. (NB- This period may be shared between more than one assured farm).
– Pigs must have been kept on an assured farm(s) for their whole life.
– Poultry must have originated from an assured Parent Hatchery, an assured breeder replacement farm, an assured breeder layer farm, hatched in an assured hatchery and kept on an assured farm for their whole life

In the case of West Country PGI Beef and Lamb and I believe PGI Welsh Beef, PGI Welsh Lamb, PGI Scotch Beef and PGI Scotch Lamb the animal must be born and reared in either the West Country, Wales or Scotland and can be slaughtered in an abattoir operating to their standard or an equivalent standard.

Will need to check what the position is for AHDB QSM English Beef and England Lamb and British Beef and British Lamb

Tarw Coch · Mar 24, 2021

alex04w said:
@Henarar

It has been raised a couple of times now - can a foreign born cow become Farm Quality Assured.

I had a search online and could not get a clear answer. So I emailed Farm Quality Assurance in NI and got an answer. The reason I could not find a clear answer online is because the answer is a fudge!

To paraphrase - An animal born in any EU member state, can achieve Assured Status provided they meet the residency requirement of 90 days, pass through an assured supply chain and meet the product standard. HOWEVER, only cattle born and reared in NI, which are certified against the required product standard are eligible to carry the Red Tractor logo.

So in summary - foreign animals can be farm quality assured, however they cannot carry the Red Tractor logo! I guess Red Tractor will be the same.

A foreign cow, e.g Dutch/German/Danish can not be sold as RT assured for meat no matter how long they have resided in this country

Bald Rick · Mar 24, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
A foreign cow, e.g Dutch/German/Danish can not be sold as RT assured for meat no matter how long they have resided in this country

Just say "Hello" to BiL in passing as he's contributing to this thread (Your sister was safely tucked up in bed before 24 hours in Police Custody so missed the RT ad - although we watched it last night but missed the ad ...)

Not so @Tarw Coch ........ we bosh our DK tagged culls out with the RT beef sticker on the declaration form that goes with them. They will, however, have been with us for a number of years and learnt English so could be consider resident. What we did suffer was a price penalty until we switched to another company who appear happy to take them without comment

Henarar · Mar 24, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
A foreign cow, e.g Dutch/German/Danish can not be sold as RT assured for meat no matter how long they have resided in this country

I did think that was the case as they always give it out at market

Tarw Coch · Mar 24, 2021

Bald Rick said:
Just say "Hello" to BiL in passing as he's contributing to this thread (Your sister was safely tucked up in bed before 24 hours in Police Custody so missed the RT ad - although we watched it last night but missed the ad ...)

Not so @Tarw Coch ........ we bosh our DK tagged culls out with the RT beef sticker on the declaration form that goes with them. They will, however, have been with us for a number of years and learnt English so could be consider resident. What we did suffer was a price penalty until we switched to another company who appear happy to take them without comment

Well bugger me, any Foreigners have gone with brits so have had rt paperwork with them but allways knocked on price, who pays full price?

warksfarmer · Mar 24, 2021

I sent a letter to FW about his article and they’ve responded in a very decent way, pretty much agreeing that RT hasn’t delivered. But they need to produce material from both sides of the argument, which is obviously correct.

Apparently FW have their own poll on RT and they report a more even split between ‘for and against’ so I’ve requested a copy of that and how it’s been polled.

They say that their focus writers are entitled to their own opinions so they don’t censor what’s written obviously.

Suffolk Serf · Mar 24, 2021

warksfarmer said:
I sent a letter to FW about his article and they’ve responded in a very decent way, pretty much agreeing that RT hasn’t delivered. But they need to produce material from both sides of the argument, which is obviously correct.

Apparently FW have their own poll on RT and they report a more even split between ‘for and against’ so I’ve requested a copy of that and how it’s been polled.

They say that their focus writers are entitled to their own opinions so they don’t censor what’s written obviously.

I got censored by a pig farming magazine that I do a "Farmer Focus" type column for.
And I didn't even mention Meadow Quality by name when I implied that they were a bunch of useless, toothless shysters.

Bald Rick · Mar 24, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
Well bugger me, any Foreigners have gone with brits so have had rt paperwork with them but allways knocked on price, who pays full price?

Small and discrete ...

Unlike me

Chris F · Mar 26, 2021

warksfarmer said:
I sent a letter to FW about his article and they’ve responded in a very decent way, pretty much agreeing that RT hasn’t delivered. But they need to produce material from both sides of the argument, which is obviously correct.

Apparently FW have their own poll on RT and they report a more even split between ‘for and against’ so I’ve requested a copy of that and how it’s been polled.

They say that their focus writers are entitled to their own opinions so they don’t censor what’s written obviously.

The FW Poll was run on Facebook Twitter and Instagram (according to their article. and said 56% of people supported the changes from 1527 responses.

this is the screenshot from Facebook, 611 votes. I didn’t see the others: 196 votes in favour, 415 against.

56% of 1527 votes is 855 votes in favour. Therefore on Twitter and Instagram, the other 916 votes, must have been 659 in favour and 257 against.

MrNoo · Mar 26, 2021

Only 600 votes and actually how many were/are actual farmers?? I see the vote here is circa 600 votes too with a completely different sentiment to the FW poll, it's not even close, now, let me think which would I believe most???

Clive · Mar 26, 2021

MrNoo said:
Only 600 votes and actually how many were/are actual farmers?? I see the vote here is circa 600 votes too with a completely different sentiment to the FW poll, it's not even close, now, let me think which would I believe most???

the questions are not the same so not sure comparison is valid really ?

MrNoo · Mar 26, 2021

Clive said:
the questions are not the same so not sure comparison is valid really ?

I guess not but you either support the Cartel or you dont, thin end of the wedge in my opinion, sooner it is done away with the better

ollie989898 · Mar 26, 2021

Doc said:
The FA forms require ‘a’ Vet to sign they have visited the farm within the last 12 months. This of course could be the XL farm care TB testing Vets, not the local practice. On the dairy RT there is a declaration you have ‘seen’ the various classes of stock- Bulls, cows, stirks, calves etc.
Not surprising the BVA and Vet profession have thought it’s a great idea to visit farms to ‘ inspect’ stock for, you know, the sake of it (and an invoice). It is actually completely meaningless. You could ‘visit’ the farm to check the cat, or have a cup of tea. It would still be ok to sign.
The whole thing is a misleading, disingenuous joke.

The visited within 12 months has a real legal basis though. For many farms (i.e dairy) this is no big deal as their vet is visiting repeatedly throughout the year.

Then you get the other end of the spectrum, small holders and beef and sheep guys who don't see the vet from one year to the next, particularly if there is no TB angle.

This causes problems in itself mind because these same folk still ring up or turn up at the front desk asking for drugs X or Y. Legally, vets aren't supposed to hand out vet meds without at least checking on the stock in question at least once a year or it is obviously a case that counts in the 'misuse of vet meds' box- how is anyone supposed to prescribe POMs without ever setting foot in your farm? It's a bit of a not-so-grey area and obviously the industry is trying to get to grips with antimicrobials management etc.

Hooby Farmer · Mar 26, 2021

Has anyone contacted RT directly about this issue and got a response?

Andrew Blenkiron

Would you like Andrew Blenkiron sacked from the board of Red Tractor for his insulting comments.

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Up to 25%

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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