British Farming Union on TFF

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
A union is simply 'the act of uniting'. I believe 'BFU' is an interim name which could be adopted or replaced.
Whether or not it would wish to be a become a trade union is a matter for discussion but I would imagine it being unlikely.
Every group has to start somewhere. It is foolish to compare a fledgling association with those that have been established for decades.
I think its ability to achieve is only limited by the imagination and will of its members. Using online meetings/ debates and social media, many member's could combine to lobby very effectively. Likewise it would be easy to arrange a strike/ boycott if it is the will of members.
I don't see a need for an office, but I can see situations where there would be support for crowd funding a barrister.
So there should should be the first vote then.
It's so easy, it should have already happened
 

Treacle Sponge

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
How is this union a union? Is it sellIng itself as a trade union? Is it recognised by the TUC? Here’s food for thought. Unite has a £40 million war chest, for leverage campaigns, strike action, lobbying, tribunals, high court barristers, everything. 1.4 million members paying £16 a month. What on earth is at best a couple of hundred people paying a tenner going to actually achieve? Other than crowd fund the rent for an office for example.
Unite is a massive trade union representing UK workers from manufacturing to transport and public services, finance and construction. Hardly a fair comparison. Farmers have no voice and perhaps this union will give us one? Don't push it over before it has taken a step.
 
How is this union a union? Is it sellIng itself as a trade union? Is it recognised by the TUC? Here’s food for thought. Unite has a £40 million war chest, for leverage campaigns, strike action, lobbying, tribunals, high court barristers, everything. 1.4 million members paying £16 a month. What on earth is at best a couple of hundred people paying a tenner going to actually achieve? Other than crowd fund the rent for an office for example.
The NFU is not a union.
 

Raider112

Member
So negative to see farmers criticising this. Surely having two organisations representing farmers is a good thing? If it does nothing other than give the NFU a nudge to start looking after farmers interests it's worth the tenner, if they don't start doing that we may be seeing the start of a new era.
Get your tenners paid even if you then do nothing more, you won't miss it.
Having said that I haven't joined yet myself but I certainly will do.
 
A union is only as good as it’s members. What does the group hope to achieve, and how will it apply leverage? There’s been BS “farmers unions” on Facebook for years, and one in particular kept harping on about having “signed documents” every two posts. It’s all shyte. Unless everyone joins, and I mean everyone in uk farming, officials are elected, organisers and leverage campaign experts are employed, then it’s all pie in the sky.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Thing is........I'd like someone to represent my interests. I'd quite like an organisation to continually challenge the daily anti farmer drivel. The NFU don't represent me. Infact, the fruits of their lobbying in the last decade have harmed my business. I want an alternative. At the very least, I want the threat of competition to shake the NFU into taking notice of rank and file members...........and ex members, who might not be ex members had they bothered listening.
 

slackjawedyokel

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Thing is........I'd like someone to represent my interests. I'd quite like an organisation to continually challenge the daily anti farmer drivel. The NFU don't represent me. Infact, the fruits of their lobbying in the last decade have harmed my business. I want an alternative. At the very least, I want the threat of competition to shake the NFU into taking notice of rank and file members...........and ex members, who might not be ex members had they bothered listening.
Me included in those disenchanted, disenfranchised ex-members.
 

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
A union is only as good as it’s members. What does the group hope to achieve, and how will it apply leverage? There’s been BS “farmers unions” on Facebook for years, and one in particular kept harping on about having “signed documents” every two posts. It’s all shyte. Unless everyone joins, and I mean everyone in uk farming, officials are elected, organisers and leverage campaign experts are employed, then it’s all pie in the sky.
The group will decide for itself what it wishes to achieve. It's up to the members.

The idea is to get as many people as possible to join. It can't be a big organisation until it has firstly been conceived, and then gathered momentum. Rome wasn't built in a day, but the final result was somewhat impressive.

I've spent many an hour listening to farmers moaning (me included) at the livestock market, over a farm gate, or down the pub.

"We've no power"

"Thousands of us, but only a handful of buyers"

"Thousands of us, but only a handful of input suppliers"

"We're losing money on every pig"

"We don't spend enough time on marketing or adding value"

"NFU are hopeless, they don't represent my views"

Let's channel energies away from moaning and into doing. Let's connect farmers from across the UK. Let's provide a place where they can cooperate. A place where they can collectively negotiate changes.

E.g. Why do we accept a price knock if wheat's below 72 bushel, but no premium if it's above?

Why do veg growers get saddled with bank rolling the supermarkets price promo offer?

Organisation and collaboration strengthens our negotiating positions.
 

JP1

Member
Livestock Farmer
Thing is........I'd like someone to represent my interests. I'd quite like an organisation to continually challenge the daily anti farmer drivel. The NFU don't represent me. Infact, the fruits of their lobbying in the last decade have harmed my business. I want an alternative. At the very least, I want the threat of competition to shake the NFU into taking notice of rank and file members...........and ex members, who might not be ex members had they bothered listening.
I could have written that
 
As One voice will never happen.

Many parts of the industry are poles apart on what they require to run their businesses


I don't agree.

All farmers want to sell a quality product for their market. No farmer IMHO should be telling any other farmer how to farm. Those that want to dictate how farming is run should be cold shouldered out altogether - to be quite frank those people are almost as bad as the environmental groups & HMG.

Plenty of common ground on sourcing fertiliser, transport, processing and marketing.
 

Vader

Member
Mixed Farmer
A union is only as good as it’s members. What does the group hope to achieve, and how will it apply leverage? There’s been BS “farmers unions” on Facebook for years, and one in particular kept harping on about having “signed documents” every two posts. It’s all shyte. Unless everyone joins, and I mean everyone in uk farming, officials are elected, organisers and leverage campaign experts are employed, then it’s all pie in the sky.
And so do you expect every farmer to join on day 1 or even day 100.....?
Its new.
Needs time to get going.
You must have a sad outlook on life when all your thoughts are so negative.
 

devonbeef

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon UK
I don't agree.

All farmers want to sell a quality product for their market. No farmer IMHO should be telling any other farmer how to farm. Those that want to dictate how farming is run should be cold shouldered out altogether - to be quite frank those people are almost as bad as the environmental groups & HMG.

Plenty of common ground on sourcing fertiliser, transport, processing and mark
And so do you expect every farmer to join on day 1 or even day 100.....?
Its new.
Needs time to get going.
You must have a sad outlook on life when all your thoughts are so negative.
Whats the wage for these NFU supporters knocking BFU at every negative thought they can muster? We could have a game , see who guesses the closest !! The NFU specail agents will have to judge it at the end!! !st prize free BFU membership!!!!
 
A union is only as good as it’s members. What does the group hope to achieve, and how will it apply leverage? There’s been BS “farmers unions” on Facebook for years, and one in particular kept harping on about having “signed documents” every two posts. It’s all shyte. Unless everyone joins, and I mean everyone in uk farming, officials are elected, organisers and leverage campaign experts are employed, then it’s all pie in the sky.


Eh ?

So in your opinion, unless some corporation has 100% membership and control of a market then there is no point ... hmmm.

Of course success starts with an idea in one person's head - take Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter .. all started with one person and none of them have 100% control of anything .. organisations build on success and the bones of those who failed before.

The NFU & Red Tractor is a failure along with many government organisations & charities - in fact to the working farmer they are all a major problem.

It isn't hard to beat any of these organisations, starts with actually wanting to do a good job.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 43.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.6%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

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

  • 1,286
  • 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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