Andrew Blenkiron

[ollie989898]

I have successfully fought that ruling every year!

How? You send calves away early or something?

 

[Tarw Coch]

How? You send calves away early or something?

Calves up to six weeks are covered under dairy I believe, which is the age most of us aim to sell by before pre movement Tb testing is needed.
The beef part covers barrens, as well as any beef cattle a dairy farm might have, although I’ve never managed to find out what extra a dairy farm has to do over and above the dairy rules to get beef assurance other than write a cheque.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Think Nando’s do, as do hello fresh

Ok so apart from Nando's and Harvester, What have red tractor ever done for us??

 

[glasshouse]

I did notice in my RT dairy paperwork a line to the effect that RT dairy farms must also join RT beef.

I did wonder if it could one day come back to bite them on the ass just like PPI

Ok so apart from Nando's and Harvester, What have red tractor ever done for us??

The aquaduct

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

10 years in that role - Results ?

how does he keep that job ?

You keep paying his wages, that's how.

 

[AIMS]

Ok so apart from Nando's and Harvester, What have red tractor ever done for us??

That's a bit of a different question.

Mentioned yesterday that there is a scheme in the School Meals sector called Food for Life Home - Food for Life

This requires that all food served in schools is freshly prepared, locally sourced and in terms of Meat and Poultry that it is sourced from farms which satisfy UK animal welfare standards. They then use the Red Tractor as the indication that the meat and poultry is from UK farms.

There are '000's of schools across the UK signed up to the scheme and increasingly the NHS, Care Homes and some Universities have also signed up. For example, many schools in London are participants. There is an excellent school in Halifax called Ravenscliff where all of the food is Red Tractor and looking at what they serve, it's amazing (some shots attached)

This has led to businesses such as The UK Foodhall The UK Foodhall, Backing our British farmers whatever the weather (karenmcquade.com) being established as suppliers.

Don't get me wrong. We have lots of issues with Red Tractor but in some areas they have helped to raise standards.

 

[curlietailz]

Here’s a thought

if RT gets 50% of its income from farmers
And 50% from Industry and ADHB

why not double the Licence Fee to use the RT symbol and make RT free to farmers.

RT would still have the same funding
Farmers would choose to join the scheme or not but it would be free

I know the stuff you do costs farmers money to get up to the standards but that’s just my thought for the day

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

i’m confident that i’m very much on the “bad” list of “naive” “back stabbers”

More than happy to be there as well !

My names Brian and so's my wife.

 

[AIMS]

Here’s a thought

if RT gets 50% of its income from farmers
And 50% from Industry and ADHB

why not double the Licence Fee to use the RT symbol and make RT free to farmers.

RT would still have the same funding
Farmers would choose to join the scheme or not but it would be free

I know the stuff you do costs farmers money to get up to the standards but that’s just my thought for the day

Stuff we do? AIMS is simply a trade association representing the interests of abattoirs, cutting plants and catering butchers. Believe me we have our issues with Red Tractor and others!

 

[curlietailz]

Stuff we do? AIMS is simply a trade association representing the interests of abattoirs, cutting plants and catering butchers. Believe me we have our issues with Red Tractor and others!

sorry I didn’t mean AIMS stuff
I meant the stuff farmers have to do to meet the RT standards

like
Having a little book to write down when the dog and cat were wormed etc

 

[traineefarmer]

Here’s a thought

if RT gets 50% of its income from farmers
And 50% from Industry and ADHB

why not double the Licence Fee to use the RT symbol and make RT free to farmers.

RT would still have the same funding
Farmers would choose to join the scheme or not but it would be free

I know the stuff you do costs farmers money to get up to the standards but that’s just my thought for the day

Because that would kill end use of the product dead. It's "our" scheme and "our" brand so in effect farmers should bear the full cost of RT, this would allow us to regain control over its use and direction.

But I would never advocate this unless there was a competing marketing scheme or realistic free market access outside of RT.

 

[Grass And Grain]

I did notice in my RT dairy paperwork a line to the effect that RT dairy farms must also join RT beef.

I did wonder if it could one day come back to bite them on the ass just like PPI

I was looking for that rule, but couldn't find it. I was certain I'd seen it somewhere.

If you find it, could you screenshot it onto here?

 

[Tarw Coch]

I was looking for that rule, but couldn't find it. I was certain I'd seen it somewhere.

If you find it, could you screenshot it onto here?

It’s on there somewhere

I’m aware that it’s a requirement of RT dairy to be a member of RT beef

That’s on the form you sign at the end of the inspection, it’s rather sneaky if it’s not in the rules only on that form, I haven’t checked..

As I said before, I do wonder if it could lead to a claim one day much like PPI

 

[Hampton]

That's a bit of a different question.

Mentioned yesterday that there is a scheme in the School Meals sector called Food for Life Home - Food for Life

This requires that all food served in schools is freshly prepared, locally sourced and in terms of Meat and Poultry that it is sourced from farms which satisfy UK animal welfare standards. They then use the Red Tractor as the indication that the meat and poultry is from UK farms.

There are '000's of schools across the UK signed up to the scheme and increasingly the NHS, Care Homes and some Universities have also signed up. For example, many schools in London are participants. There is an excellent school in Halifax called Ravenscliff where all of the food is Red Tractor and looking at what they serve, it's amazing (some shots attached)

This has led to businesses such as The UK Foodhall The UK Foodhall, Backing our British farmers whatever the weather (karenmcquade.com) being established as suppliers.

Don't get me wrong. We have lots of issues with Red Tractor but in some areas they have helped to raise standards.

That is an almost word for word copy of the French food policy.
But in France, it’s law

 

[Drillman]

Here’s a thought

if RT gets 50% of its income from farmers
And 50% from Industry and ADHB

why not double the Licence Fee to use the RT symbol and make RT free to farmers.

RT would still have the same funding
Farmers would choose to join the scheme or not but it would be free

I know the stuff you do costs farmers money to get up to the standards but that’s just my thought for the day

That’s actually a very good idea and if the RT management honestly think there ‘Brand’ has value they should be implementing it in this way!

 

[ploughman1963]

Calves up to six weeks are covered under dairy I believe, which is the age most of us aim to sell by before pre movement Tb testing is needed.
The beef part covers barrens, as well as any beef cattle a dairy farm might have, although I’ve never managed to find out what extra a dairy farm has to do over and above the dairy rules to get beef assurance other than write a cheque.

Barrens are covered in the dairy inspection. You are correct on the calves. There is a category called 'minor beef'
Edit: here is the detail -

All Red Tractor Dairy Farms should have Red Tractor Beef assurance if they wish to market livestock as Red Tractor Approved.

Red Tractor Dairy certification only covers ‘liquid milk’. However, Red Tractor Dairy certification automatically includes ‘Red Tractor Minor Beef’ membership.


Red Tractor Minor Beef membership covers:

• Cull cows (any number)
• Calves up to 100 days old (any number)
• Up to 10 other animals per annum (maybe a heifer that cannot be got in-calf, so is ‘finished’)

If any animals outside the above criteria are to be sold then Red Tractor Full Beef is required.

 

[AIMS]

That is an almost word for word copy of the French food policy.
But in France, it’s law

Wish it was here!

 

[Tarw Coch]

Barrens are covered in the dairy inspection. You are correct on the calves. There is a category called 'minor beef'
Edit: here is the detail -

All Red Tractor Dairy Farms should have Red Tractor Beef assurance if they wish to market livestock as Red Tractor Approved.

Red Tractor Dairy certification only covers ‘liquid milk’. However, Red Tractor Dairy certification automatically includes ‘Red Tractor Minor Beef’ membership.


Red Tractor Minor Beef membership covers:

• Cull cows (any number)
• Calves up to 100 days old (any number)
• Up to 10 other animals per annum (maybe a heifer that cannot be got in-calf, so is ‘finished’)

If any animals outside the above criteria are to be sold then Red Tractor Full Beef is required.

Well that definitely means I’m paying RT beef for nothing although that piece of paper I have to sign at the end of inspection seems to imply otherwise
Furthermore I did ask the guy who takes our Barrens if we needed RT beef and he said yes if we wanted the best price.

 

[Clive]

If I were RT, I wouldn't engage with this either. I'm sure there has been a word or two said to him internally. Are you expecting RT to hang him out to dry?

yes they should fire him, if a paid representative of any business i ran behaved like that i would see it as gross misconduct and get rid of them

 

[Henarar]

yes they should fire him, if a paid representative of any business i ran behaved like that i would see it as gross misconduct and get rid of them

Indeed