NFU and No Deal

The nfu thought hard about which side to back. They looked at the options and decided that to stay was safer and less damaging. There was a clear divide between lowland farmers dairy and arable and livestock hill farmers. The former to leave and the latter to stay. Where bps of a business is equivalent to a months turnover or less it’s easy to see benefits of leaving being better especially when the said businesses are effected by Eu imports. Where bps is equivalent to six months turnover or more and the same businesses are reliant on Eu export then it’s easy to see the benefits of staying. More importantly leaving could put hill sheep men out of business where as to stay would not be as damaging to the lowland men. Simple really. This seemed the most responsible approach. It was never going to please everyone. I do talk to my agent
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
So explain to me how the NFU's ignoring ( hoping they will just go away ) the vegan argument/ movement for the last 4/5 years has worked??

Because their voice is getting louder and louder, their argument is getting stronger and stronger, they are getting more and more supporters and they are now really starting to affect meat sales............................

Aye ignoring them and hoping they will quietly go away has really worked.........................:rolleyes::rolleyes:


Guth - have you ever thought that you should produce what your customer wants, rather than your customer should be great full to buy what you choose to produce?
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer


Whatever they want. This may seem a bit basic, but if you want folk to buy what you produce, to my way of thinking you need to produce what they want.
I had a bit of a stab at growing Radicio some 35 years back, it was easy to grow, everyone was interested in what it was but no one actually bought it. I moved that time and area back to Leeks which I hated growing but at least I could always sell the fudging things.

We are only too well aware that beef consumption looks to be in only one direction and reduce our area of grass each year.
 
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Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
The nfu thought hard about which side to back. They looked at the options and decided that to stay was safer and less damaging. There was a clear divide between lowland farmers dairy and arable and livestock hill farmers. The former to leave and the latter to stay. Where bps of a business is equivalent to a months turnover or less it’s easy to see benefits of leaving being better especially when the said businesses are effected by Eu imports. Where bps is equivalent to six months turnover or more and the same businesses are reliant on Eu export then it’s easy to see the benefits of staying. More importantly leaving could put hill sheep men out of business where as to stay would not be as damaging to the lowland men. Simple really. This seemed the most responsible approach. It was never going to please everyone. I do talk to my agent
Some hill farmers voted leave thats a fact
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Guth - have you ever thought that you should produce what your customer wants, rather than your customer should be great full to buy what you choose to produce?
The customers want to buy meat but they are being put off by false claims by vegans and environmentalists, is it to much to ask for the people that represent us to refute these lies ?
I am a nfu member BTW
See it all the time stop climate change and part of the solution is to eat less red meat which is bull sh!t
 
Location
Devon
Guth - have you ever thought that you should produce what your customer wants, rather than your customer should be great full to buy what you choose to produce?

Well it might be hard for you to understand but in many parts of the UK ( this part included ) the land is very steep and most of it cannot be ploughed and is only suitable for grassland............

So quite what you can do with steep ground that is only suitable for grass other than graze livestock on it or planting it to trees I would be very intrested to know!
 
Location
Devon
The customers want to buy meat but they are being put off by false claims by vegans and environmentalists, is it to much to ask for the people that represent us to refute these lies ?
I am a nfu member BTW
See it all the time stop climate change and part of the solution is to eat less red meat which is bull sh!t

90% of the population could end up vegan and the NFU would still be ignoring the issue and quietly hoping it would go away!
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Well it might be hard for you to understand but in many parts of the UK ( this part included ) the land is very steep and most of it cannot be ploughed and is only suitable for grassland............

So quite what you can do with steep ground that is only suitable for grass other than graze livestock on it or planting it to trees I would be very intrested to know!


So, if your customer want trees but not beef, you will continue to produce beef. Good luck with that business model.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
The customers want to buy meat but they are being put off by false claims by vegans and environmentalists, is it to much to ask for the people that represent us to refute these lies ?
I am a nfu member BTW
See it all the time stop climate change and part of the solution is to eat less red meat which is bull sh!t


Here, I am told the problem is a bit different to what you say. It is not so much that loads are turning vegan but that those that do buy meat are buying less because they simply can’t afford as much as before. The price of lamb here I find extraordinary and much as I like it, I would be buying it 3 times a year max as a treat.
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
So, if your customer want trees but not beef, you will continue to produce beef. Good luck with that business model.
I think the customer wants beef and lamb but they have a concern about 'what it might be doing to them ' they are being sold a myth and Packham and co are jumping on it. There will always be extremists but its the way that they shout their message that does the damage and the NFU is failing to tackle if head on.
 
Location
Devon
So, if your customer want trees but not beef, you will continue to produce beef. Good luck with that business model.

So you think the following is a good business model then?? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Have land worth 8k an acre, get £100 acre for 10/15 years max for planting trees then no income from that land..

All the while your asset that was worth 8k is now worth 3k at best..

So by year 10/15 you have devalued your asset's by over 50% and cant get any income from that asset after the £100 acre year grant money runs out after year 10 or 15...

Any you think that's a good business model?? words really do fail me!!
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
Sometimes though, it’s better to ignore nutters like packham. Don’t rise to the ridiculous assertions. I doubt very much if all livestock transport would be banned. People would soon go hungry.
Choose which battles to fight, keep your powder dry and I work quietly behind the scenes .
You can’t blame @Guy Smith for all life’s ills.
Fair point about Guy Smith but he is or has been reading this thread and has been asked by quite a few to address it and he hasn't . Guy is probably the only NFU top dog who has his feet any where near the ground . I don't know him and never met him but on the whole he will put his head up and comment but I'm disappointed he has chosen to ignore the Packham transport issue . I know it's on another thread but he has been asked on this thread .
 
Whatever they want. This may seem a bit basic, but if you want folk to buy what you produce, to my way of thinking you need to produce what they want.
I had a bit of a stab at growing Radicio some 35 years back, it was easy to grow, everyone was interested in what it was but no one actually bought it. I moved that time and area back to Leeks which I hated growing but at least I could always sell the fudging things.

We are only too well aware that beef consumption looks to be in only one direction and reduce our area of grass each year.
I produce exactly what the market wants.
42 kilo texel/beltex lambs tight skinned good grades
450 kilo 3/4 Limousin/British Blue store cattle usually better than R grade
I also get poor prices
 

Guy Smith

Member
Location
Essex
Fair point about Guy Smith but he is or has been reading this thread and has been asked by quite a few to address it and he hasn't . Guy is probably the only NFU top dog who has his feet any where near the ground . I don't know him and never met him but on the whole he will put his head up and comment but I'm disappointed he has chosen to ignore the Packham transport issue . I know it's on another thread but he has been asked on this thread .

I thought this thread was about why we are against ‘no deal’ - which I’ve addressed.

Suddenly it’s about Chris Packham. I’m vaguely aware of his various campaigns but if I spent my time worrying about everything he gets up to then I wouldn’t get much else done and to be frank I’ve got better things to do. When I see things like the Wild Justice lawyers cause a revocation of general licences thus compromising a farmers ability to protect crops or livestock from pests then I take it very seriously - which we did.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
So you think the following is a good business model then?? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Have land worth 8k an acre, get £100 acre for 10/15 years max for planting trees then no income from that land..

All the while your asset that was worth 8k is now worth 3k at best..

So by year 10/15 you have devalued your asset's by over 50% and cant get any income from that asset after the £100 acre year grant money runs out after year 10 or 15...

Any you think that's a good business model?? words really do fail me!!
I hate trees, but you just said your land was steep, and rocky, so planting trees will iincrease its value
 
Location
Devon
I hate trees, but you just said your land was steep, and rocky, so planting trees will iincrease its value

I did not say my land is rocky, its very good grass growing land but most of it is far too steep to plough safely and you certainly wouldn't want to be ploughing it every year.

Also we would not be allowed to plant some of it to trees anyway as it has to be kept as grassland due to its historical features ( which I might add we don't get paid for either but still cannot plough it )
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
I thought this thread was about why we are against ‘no deal’ - which I’ve addressed.

Suddenly it’s about Chris Packham. I’m vaguely aware of his various campaigns but if I spent my time worrying about everything he gets up to then I wouldn’t get much else done and to be frank I’ve got better things to do. When I see things like the Wild Justice lawyers cause a revocation of general licences thus compromising a farmers ability to protect crops or livestock from pests then I take it very seriously - which we did.
Quite right it's not about Packham but it has come up on the thread. (He is a bit like Brexit, always in the press ! ) thankyou for acknowledging it . I would however like to be assured that the NFU is tackling Packham head on in the social media circles . I
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.7%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 4 2.2%

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

  • 1,286
  • 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/
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