AHDB and Red Tractor

With the impending cereals vote and the fact they’ve recently lost the potato and horticulture one as well as actively promoting the con Red Tractor scheme which way will the cereals vote go? I’ll be voting to stop the levy as we need to claim back the money we are all forced to pay the Ponzi Red Tractor scheme that’s only shafts U.K. farmers rather than adding value as they claim.

Discuss.
 

chipchap

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Shropshire
Hgca levy does add up to quite a bit of money, even for a moderate size arable farm.

Are we getting good value for money?

Would the services and information provided be available elsewhere?

I expect very many of us would not buy the services if they were billed at cost at point of use.
 

cb387

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cotswolds
They had the wake up call with the previous votes but appear not to have listened. If it wasnt for the RT issue then I think just enough farmers ‘might’ vote in their favour. However, their support for RT will be enough to seal their fate. Like many other organisations they are too arrogant to change. They will get what they deserve.
 
They had the wake up call with the previous votes but appear not to have listened. If it wasnt for the RT issue then I think just enough farmers ‘might’ vote in their favour. However, their support for RT will be enough to seal their fate. Like many other organisations they are too arrogant to change. They will get what they deserve.

It certainly looks that way doesn’t it.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Hgca levy does add up to quite a bit of money, even for a moderate size arable farm.

Are we getting good value for money?

Would the services and information provided be available elsewhere?

I expect very many of us would not buy the services if they were billed at cost at point of use.

Where else will you get independent information from? Sales bumf from vested interests? There's no such thing as free information. It all has a cost and if it's not from the AHDB, it will be from vested interests.

So, where will you get your info from to help you with your business??

I worry that the AHDB will collapse due to levy payers wanting to spite RT by cutting off their own noses (n)
 
Where else will you get independent information from? Sales bumf from vested interests? There's no such thing as free information. It all has a cost and if it's not from the AHDB, it will be from vested interests.

So, where will you get your info from to help you with your business??

I worry that the AHDB will collapse due to levy payers wanting to spite RT by cutting off their own noses (n)

Yes that’s exactly it. But is the AHDB really independent if it’s funding Red tractor and won’t fight the farmers corner? Who’s in charge of who exactly?

AHDB looks like it needs to go at the minute irrelevant of the good it does.

It’s all to murky and underhand like the Nfu and RT relationship.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Where else will you get independent information from? Sales bumf from vested interests? There's no such thing as free information. It all has a cost and if it's not from the AHDB, it will be from vested interests.

So, where will you get your info from to help you with your business??

I worry that the AHDB will collapse due to levy payers wanting to spite RT by cutting off their own noses (n)
Niab, green crop etc?
 

tullah

Member
Location
Linconshire
Where else will you get independent information from? Sales bumf from vested interests? There's no such thing as free information. It all has a cost and if it's not from the AHDB, it will be from vested interests.

So, where will you get your info from to help you with your business??

I worry that the AHDB will collapse due to levy payers wanting to spite RT by cutting off their own noses (n)
I'd sooner have my freedom back.
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I'm beef and lamb and not cereals.

What I have clearly noticed is that AHDB have listened and have shown a willingness to change.
This should be applauded as it is not something the NFU or RT have done.

I can understand it being perfectly reasonable for AHDB to give money to RT for its promotions as a good use of money in shared interest. Better to have 1 good PR budget than 2 poor ones.

Who would happily pay levies to AHDB if they provided an alternative self-cert assurance scheme?
 

mountfarm

Member
I'm beef and lamb and not cereals.

What I have clearly noticed is that AHDB have listened and have shown a willingness to change.
This should be applauded as it is not something the NFU or RT have done.

I can understand it being perfectly reasonable for AHDB to give money to RT for its promotions as a good use of money in shared interest. Better to have 1 good PR budget than 2 poor ones.

Who would happily pay levies to AHDB if they provided a self-cert assurance scheme?

The problem is that AHDB have not actually done anything though.
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Niab, green crop etc?

Niab, amongst others, benefit from the trials work that they perform for AHDB under contract. The loss of Cereal & Oilseeds and their R&D budget would cause problems for the likes of NIAB Tag.
People need to think long and hard about how they vote in any AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds vote. Many do not know or understand how the whole industry is intertwined. I am most definitely not in support of AHDB giving funds to RT but the value I derive from AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds makes it excellent value for money for true Independant research.
The industry (farmers) would, IMHO, be incredibly foolish to throw that away.
 

chipchap

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Shropshire
We all have different perceptions of what would be best.

I think the most sensible way forward is to have a good balanced debate, then a period of reflection before a vote, which broadly seems to be what is happening.

Personally I’m not very much in favour of any organisation being funded by compulsory subscription.
 
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Imho if the ahdb goes then i will not make a saving as I will have to pay a lot more for independent trials work
with out an assurance scheme if we want to supply crops energy for road fuel we will still need a certification system that will have a cost
when e 10 is the standard fuel the uk will need a lot of bio ethanol
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

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

  • 1,291
  • 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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