SilliamWhale
Member
Basically Blenkiron/ Batters/ Smith/ Bradshaw are acting out a sort of clerisy whereby they are presuming to know what is best for farmers without actually wanting to listen to them, or only listening to the ones they want to hear. The double standards being promoted are absolutely alarming,if not terrifying for the future.
The idea that those who do not want representation by the NFU (and are disgusted by them sitting on their hands about Red Tractor corruption) are somehow riding on the coat tails of them is a typical view.
Its very top down, heavily influenced by those they see as their peers now - the corporate agricultural world and the trade organisations.
I recently read Guy Smiths book about the history of the NFU which is fascinating. I'd have though every former leader would be thoroughly disgusted at the way the modern union has allowed them to be prostrated by Red Tractors tentacles. I know I am and a lot of others are.
Further to this we now have a situation where no-one can sell a grain of oilseed rape unless they have payed tithes to the marketplaces' private gaslighter otherwise known as Red Tractor - for no added value.
The situation is very fast becoming the same in the cereals sector with avenues continually being closed. This loss of independent grain trading ability to alarm the hell out of all farmers. Look at potential future scenarios - you can't trade unless you have done the Red Tractor Carbon audit, or you can't trade if you have gone over your allotted c02 restrictions etc etc.
What is worse the farmers union aiding and abetting this, have a wedding planner as the figurehead who doesn't actually want to listen to farmers and spouts crap about net zero with no compunction about the costs of it and no consultation about it.
We must continue to push back very hard against all this because 1. it won't end here 2. you may find soon unless you comply you can't trade (and we are not talking about regulatory bodies here, we are talking about private industry)