AHDB meeting at Exeter on Monday

[An Gof]

What proportion would you say did?

Couldn't give an accurate figure as I was towards the front and didn't really turn around to get a proper look. It did appear that it was a sizeable majority from those that I could see though.
However the person who suggested it didn't give others the opportunity to express their opinion or identify those who wished to abstain.

 

[gone up the hill]

Couldn't give an accurate figure as I was towards the front and didn't really turn around to get a proper look. It did appear that it was a sizeable majority from those that I could see though.
However the person who suggested it didn't give others the opportunity to express their opinion or identify those who wished to abstain.

Utter nonsense! it was a simple question about should the B+L board spend more of levy payers money on advertising and less on R+ D, no one was forced to put their hand up and thus people that didn't put their hand up were either abstaining or didn't agree that more should be spent on advertising.

I turned around and it defo was around 90% of people in the room who put their hand up which is very conclusive.

 

[gone up the hill]

I reckon the ethos of French supermarkets is very different . UK chains are very much more own brand aware and protective . Sainsbury's didn't even want RT on pack .

I agree, UK multiples really don't help us very much at all but there are plans to work in a much more collaborative way with retailers.

Sounded to me that the AHDB were really struggling to make the UK supermarket's play ball in this respect..

 

[An Gof]

Utter nonsense! it was a simple question about should the B+L board spend more of levy payers money on advertising and less on R+ D, no one was forced to put their hand up and thus people that didn't put their hand up were either abstaining or didn't agree that more should be spent on advertising.

I turned around and it defo was around 90% of people in the room who put their hand up which is very conclusive.

My post is far from "utter nonsense". There was no opportunity given for those to "vote" or express a view by the raising of hands that spending on R&D should either be maintained or increased.
I do not subscribe to the view that the production of less for more is the answer. I believe it demonstrates naivety as any shortfall in the market by a reduction in home production will send a signal for other (competitive) producers to fill the gap. If we don't produce enough beef to supply the market demand it sucks in imports. Market pricing if we produce too much will stabilise around import parity. We have to know our COP and develop techniques and management decisions so that we can produce at costs that ensure we can compete whilst remaining profitable.
Producing less for more is in effect asking for protectionism and I'm not thinking our current government is likely to be in favour of that.

 

[gone up the hill]

My post is far from "utter nonsense". There was no opportunity given for those to "vote" or express a view by the raising of hands that spending on R&D should either be maintained or increased.
I do not subscribe to the view that the production of less for more is the answer. I believe it demonstrates naivety as any shortfall in the market by a reduction in home production will send a signal for other (competitive) producers to fill the gap. If we don't produce enough beef to supply the market demand it sucks in imports. Market pricing if we produce too much will stabilise around import parity. We have to know our COP and develop techniques and management decisions so that we can produce at costs that ensure we can compete whilst remaining profitable.
Producing less for more is in effect asking for protectionism and I'm not thinking our current government is likely to be in favour of that.

AHDB's theme is that we produce the same but cut cost's, trouble is ( and as was pointed out at the meeting ) that most farmers cannot cut costs anymore than they have already, yep there is always the chance to shave off a £1 here and there but that will be swallowed up in ever increasing farm input prices, take this year for example, makers of feeding/ handling equipment have put their prices up by 15%, feed/ fert/ fuel is rising daily and the list goes on, any research that saves a farm £5 head production costs is lost and some more by these costs that we have no control over.

Should be noted grain prices are rising rapidly due to the exchange rate yet beef and lamb ( the latter in particular ) are going the other way due to imports, dealing with this would give far more positive returns to farm gate prices than research ever will.

Ref the way the question were asked at the meeting, perhaps a good idea for future meetings would be that the chair of the meeting ask's for a show of hands on things like : is what we are spending on advertising enough, should be we spending more or less on R+D etc and if so in what areas would you want it spent in etc etc.

 

[Henarar]

Couldn't give an accurate figure as I was towards the front and didn't really turn around to get a proper look. It did appear that it was a sizeable majority from those that I could see though.
However the person who suggested it didn't give others the opportunity to express their opinion or identify those who wished to abstain.

did you hear how he put the question ? @An Gof

 

[An Gof]

did you hear how he put the question ? @An Gof

Yes I did hear the question but in all honesty I cannot remember the exact wording and in the absence of an AHDB equivalent to Hansard perhaps we will not know unequivocally. What I do clearly remember is that after the show of hands for promotion I was expecting an opportunity for a show of hands for R&D which never transpired.

 

[Henarar]

Yes I did hear the question but in all honesty I cannot remember the exact wording and in the absence of an AHDB equivalent to Hansard perhaps we will not know unequivocally. What I do clearly remember is that after the show of hands for promotion I was expecting an opportunity for a show of hands for R&D which never transpired.

I didn't vote as I don't really hear what he said
there is a difference between do you want THE money to be used for advertising rather than R&D and do you want more money for advertising and less for R&D
I didn't see 90% of the people in the room put their hands up anyway and Clare says the same

 

[gone up the hill]

I didn't vote as I don't really hear what he said
there is a difference between do you want THE money to be used for advertising rather than R&D and do you want more money for advertising and less for R&D
I didn't see 90% of the people in the room put their hands up anyway and Clare says the same

Without a shadow of a doubt about 90% of people in the room put their hand up.

The question basically was : do you want less money spent on R+D and more spent on advertising.

Very clear that nearly every farmer wants the AHDB to focus much more on promotion and less on R+D

 

[Henarar]

Without a shadow of a doubt about 90% of people in the room put their hand up.

The question basically was : do you want less money spent on R+D and more spent on advertising.

Very clear that nearly every farmer wants the AHDB to focus much more on promotion and less on R+D

well two of us thought different on the numbers

 

[gone up the hill]

I spoke to several people at sedge today that went to the above meeting.

The made the following comments......

The meeting was a waste of time as the AHDB are still not listening to what we the levy payers want.

The AHDB think farmers are a charity that are there as a cash cow..

Why was the chap from North Wyke so keen to speak up and be so defensive of the AHDB spending so much if not more of our levy money on R+ D, just how much funding is the B+L board giving North Wyke??

We were very impressed with the chap ( Peter ) who spoke about his work on the export markets.

Not enough info about what marketing campaigns the B+L board are doing this year ( other than the lamb week )

.....

I hasten to add all the above comments today were made by farmers etc that were at the meeting and not myself.

 

[Devon James]

Have a look at the Australia Day lamb advert 2017 on you tube.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...IIIjAC&usg=AFQjCNHZT5gsoS309Vk8NFhzBTgQQ11eCg

 

[llamedos]

I spoke to several people at sedge today that went to the above meeting.

The made the following comments......

The meeting was a waste of time as the AHDB are still not listening to what we the levy payers want.

The AHDB think farmers are a charity that are there as a cash cow..

Why was the chap from North Wyke so keen to speak up and be so defensive of the AHDB spending so much if not more of our levy money on R+ D, just how much funding is the B+L board giving North Wyke??

We were very impressed with the chap ( Peter ) who spoke about his work on the export markets.

Not enough info about what marketing campaigns the B+L board are doing this year ( other than the lamb week )

.....

I hasten to add all the above comments today were made by farmers etc that were at the meeting and not myself.

Is it not funded by BBSRC ie government funding.

 

[Henarar]

BBSRC

?

 

[Princess Pooper]

?

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/

A lot of 'agricultural research' is funded by BBSRC. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/research/food-security/
It has also put money into part funding higher ed courses eg the Advanced Training Partnership bursaries for MScs that have been running (I am a fortunate beneficiary of one such).

 

[sherg]

Have a look at the Australia Day lamb advert 2017 on you tube.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGdjX8QqL_Y&ved=0ahUKEwjoiaOxv8LRAhXFJcAKHWTHBrkQtwIIIjAC&usg=AFQjCNHZT5gsoS309Vk8NFhzBTgQQ11eCg

It makes you wonder if our lot could come up with something good in the run up to easter it wouldn't need to be as long as that but could have the potential to be a little bit like the john lewis advert something a bit different every year, and whilst lamb does need promoting all year round easter could be the one meal where people would make a change and eat lamb

 

[gone up the hill]

It makes you wonder if our lot could come up with something good in the run up to easter it wouldn't need to be as long as that but could have the potential to be a little bit like the john lewis advert something a bit different every year, and whilst lamb does need promoting all year round easter could be the one meal where people would make a change and eat lamb

I don't think the AHDB are that flexible when it comes to promoting our product like that, all they seem to have planned for 2017 is the lamb week and not much else, nothing was said at the meeting about advertising beef in 2017 in the home market.

Ref the funding for North Wyke, I imagine they either already get a large lump sum from the AHDB or they are getting EU funding and of course with brexit that will dry up so they are now looking into trying to get funding ( or extra funding ) from the likes of the AHDB..

Regardless of where the funding is coming from, North Wyke are not delivering any research to beef or lamb farming.

Oh and yesterday at sedge a few comments were made about the RT logo and farm assurance, given the words used I cant repeat them on here but lets jut say most people thing RT/farm assurance is currently a complete waste of time for beef and lamb producers.

 

[sherg]

Promotion is what we have needed for over 20 years the odd advert in a magazine doesn't do much, social media for the younger generation and tv for the rest in beef and lamb we have 2 great products which have shaped the landscape for thousands of years it cant be that hard to promote
The RT logo is a farce the nfu/nsa/nba/ahdb need to pull their fingers out and make packaging and labelling far clearer for the consumer if more money is to be spent on advertising then it needs to be clear for them on the supermarket shelves

 

[romneymarsh]

Let's have a whip round .

How much do you think , £27 000 000 should make an impact .


(Coca Cola invest 6.9% of global turnover in advertising )

 

[gone up the hill]

Let's have a whip round .

How much do you think , £27 000 000 should make an impact .


(Coca Cola invest 6.9% of global turnover in advertising )

Question should be: Just how much levy payers money are the AHDB wasting?...