Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Will be the death knell for the British scheme as farmers will quit the scheme in droves unless they sort out the advertising/ branding/ labelling of the scheme first!
Farmers just want to see some benefit from farm assurance, we would be quite happy to jump through tougher hoops if we could just see a benefit from it. Ps I dont want tougher rules without seeing the improved prices first, promises dont pay the bills
 
Location
Devon
Farmers just want to see some benefit from farm assurance, we would be quite happy to jump through tougher hoops if we could just see a benefit from it. Ps I dont want tougher rules without seeing the improved prices first, promises dont pay the bills

That's the problem and why so many farmers are now quitting the scheme as there is no price benefit from being in the RT scheme, in fact with the costs now getting so high with extra costs like health plans etc being needed the RT scheme is actually devaluing your animals as all these costs have to come off the sale price.

Im all for the scheme if it was properly advertised to the consumers and 90% understood what the logo is and what it stands for and RT goods labelled/ packaged differently to non assured meats and certainly not packaged the same as non assured imported meats, also a big push is needed to get retailers to only import meats etc that meet our RT rules.

Current scheme just isn't working beyond the farmgate.
 

Full of bull(s)

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Yorkshire
People like to talk
Empty barrels make the most noise

I haven’t been to the place in years but I bumped into a shareholder last week and it doesn’t sound very good. £350000 is a lot of money to pay yourself in bonuses when you’ve just borrowed a million to build a new market. His concern was the bank pulling out if there is any proof of wrongdoing leaving them with no money and no premises
 
I haven’t been to the place in years but I bumped into a shareholder last week and it doesn’t sound very good. £350000 is a lot of money to pay yourself in bonuses when you’ve just borrowed a million to build a new market. His concern was the bank pulling out if there is any proof of wrongdoing leaving them with no money and no premises
The council owns the existing mart and as long as it’s needed as an eminently and the auction makes a profit they can’t be shifted.
Unless they bung the mart company a few quid so I’m sure any deal would be a good one as the current site all qualifies for building
 

Whitepeak

Member
Livestock Farmer
That's the problem and why so many farmers are now quitting the scheme as there is no price benefit from being in the RT scheme, in fact with the costs now getting so high with extra costs like health plans etc being needed the RT scheme is actually devaluing your animals as all these costs have to come off the sale price.

Im all for the scheme if it was properly advertised to the consumers and 90% understood what the logo is and what it stands for and RT goods labelled/ packaged differently to non assured meats and certainly not packaged the same as non assured imported meats, also a big push is needed to get retailers to only import meats etc that meet our RT rules.

Current scheme just isn't working beyond the farmgate.
Don't think we'll bother joining then. We never have been FA for beef, as we mainly sold store, but now we are finishing more we have been considering going into it.
 

Frank-the-Wool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
Sorry but I can assure you there were/are Irish calves fattened in Poland, mainly NS Hex and AA, indeed some were milk reared in Leicester and fattened in Poland. HFr for veal yes, AA etc no.

Cannot see how the economics of that works. Yes the Veal job is still high value and the milk powder would be cheaper, but the transport cost on the calves compared with what can be bought in Poland then the calves would have to have a very low price in Ireland.
Weanlings still cross into Europe but historically these have normally gone to Italy.

I have just seen the statistics and what a change. Which way are these calves travelling?
 
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So does an independent body Audit your self made farm assurance??

Also a bit much that your not a member of the RT farm assurance scheme yet are calling for even tighter rules/ red tape for the RT assurance scheme.................:rolleyes:
!

Ref independent auditors, no not currently but this is something we are changing as I want our audit to include sustainability, carbon foot print etc and not just box ticking.
Ref RT, your missing the point, I was an RT member but quit as it didn't go far enough on all levels, when it goes further and delivers on its shortfall then I will rejoin but not as a replacement to my own efforts. The reason I would join again is because the UK needs a national scheme that works, so by me joining and promoting, I then promote British red meat as a whole. We absolutely need a robust scheme and promotion policy, if not then red meat UK is finished in a future based on price. Sorry for taking this thread off topic.
 

Old Tip

Member
Location
Cumbria
Personally i agree wholeheartedly with you @runnyegg the RT is totally run by the supermarkets and is there to make them more money, there is a three or probably four tier meat production system. At the lowest end bargin bucket you have the American style where anything goes and produce it cheap and then try and make it safe in the factory or outlet. You then have the red tractor who are all about ticking boxes to convince the public the meat is safe which is a good system but is not really helping the farmer as it is abused by the unscrupulous. You then have the organic and RT plus level which is for the Waitrose style shopper and lastly you have the bespoke direct sell stylr such as @runny egg runs which is for the most discerning custermor but would not work for your average joe blogs but is where there is money to be made.
The biggest issue we have as red meat suppliers is folk selling under finished stock in the prime market especially with lamb, this drags down the average price time and time again, i just cant understand both the auction staff and the farmers. The likes of Wigton and Carlisle have stopped this to the point where if you dont have the very best stock its pointless taking them as there are not the buyers there for them, where as Longtown and Bentham will have as many stores as prime in at some prime sales. Yes there are buyers there for these lambs and many sell well for what they are but they pull the average down drastically and are then bought and re marketed in a few weeks which is good for the mart re commission but they are costing more in levy and extras than if sold in the store ring.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Personally i agree wholeheartedly with you @runnyegg the RT is totally run by the supermarkets and is there to make them more money, there is a three or probably four tier meat production system. At the lowest end bargin bucket you have the American style where anything goes and produce it cheap and then try and make it safe in the factory or outlet. You then have the red tractor who are all about ticking boxes to convince the public the meat is safe which is a good system but is not really helping the farmer as it is abused by the unscrupulous. You then have the organic and RT plus level which is for the Waitrose style shopper and lastly you have the bespoke direct sell stylr such as @runny egg runs which is for the most discerning custermor but would not work for your average joe blogs but is where there is money to be made.
and the American meat may be just as good and the animals just as well looked after as the rest, don't ever believe that any of these schemes will always make the product or the welfare better because they won't
I am not arrogant enough to think that there are not farmers in America be that north or south that look after their animals better and produce a better product than either me or anyone else on this forum
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
The beef is;
It could be 24 month old e3l steer
It could be a 10 year old Holstein
It could have spent it's whole life indoors
It could have spent it's whole life wandering moors
It could have have lots of treatments or never handled
It could have been fed nothing but grass
It could have been fed on imported meals
It's health and welfare may have been monitored everyday
It could have been left to roam wild

etc etc.....

These things matter to people in varying amounts.

Everybody seems to get paid a different price.
95% is just sold as beef.

The trouble is if FA is basic, it is meaningless.
If it gets more detailed, it discriminates different systems.
To avoid this it would have to have different categories which then confuses the consumer and becomes meaningless.

I'd produce meat to any standard specified by a supermarket IF they guaranteed ALL their suppliers did the same.

Back on topic; This week ... Kepak £3.15, Dunbia £3.20
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

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

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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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