British Sugars Penultimate Sugar Campaign. 2021/22

[Daniel]

Ahead of tonight's online bunfight, I thought I'd start a new thread for this year's beet crop.

I assume all growers have signed up for the meeting?

With the 3 year contracts ending next year, this year could be the 2nd last year of having a viable sugar industry in this country. Or maybe they'll pull a rabbit from a hat and share some of the £100 million profit?!

 

[nick...]

Ahead of tonight's online bunfight, I thought I'd start a new thread for this year's beet crop.

I assume all growers have signed up for the meeting?

With the 3 year contracts ending next year, this year could be the 2nd last year of having a viable sugar industry in this country. Or maybe they'll pull a rabbit from a hat and share some of the £100 million profit?!

Don’t hold your breath.understand they are really desperate for land at the moment.British sugar RIP
nick...

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Don’t hold your breath.understand they are really desperate for land at the moment.British sugar RIP
nick...

Then growers could club together and buy the remains of BS, run it as a cooperative and have a share of the profits.
What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Daniel]

Then growers could club together and buy the remains of BS, run it as a cooperative and have a share of the profits.
What could possibly go wrong?

Benign dictatorship is the only sensible form of governance for any organisation. At the moment though the dictators at British Sugar are somewhat hostile toward their growers!

 

[deleted user 837354]

I tell you, if I ran British sugar I would make it so simple that I'd have a very easy life and no grower would ever complain.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Several of the beet processors in the USA are producer owned, mainly bought from former corporate owners.

 

[kiwi pom]

Then growers could club together and buy the remains of BS, run it as a cooperative and have a share of the profits.
What could possibly go wrong?

Sounds like a plan.
If it's a viable business it just needs the investment, if it's not, perhaps it explains why growers don't get much for beet?

 

[oil barron]

Sounds like a plan.
If it's a viable business it just needs the investment, if it's not, perhaps it explains why growers don't get much for beet?

Sugar doesn’t work on a free market level. You need to get serious into politics to make a go of it. The price of sugar in america is 3x that of most of the world.

Meet the Sugar Barons Who Used Both Sides of American Politics to Get Billions in Subsidies - ProMarket

Meet the Florida-based Fanjul brothers, who inject money to both political parties and dominate an industry that enjoys billions of dollar’s worth of subsidies and protections. Last week, historical documents were released showing that the sugar industry paid Harvard scientists in the 1960s to...

www.google.com

 

[teslacoils]

Several of the beet processors in the USA are producer owned, mainly bought from former corporate owners.

Wouldn't work. UK farmers would sell it if they thought they could turn a few quid in the short term.

 

[Daniel]

I'm not sure if it's my Microsoft Teams or everyone elses but this meeting is almost impossible to follow.

The chief executive, Paul Kenward has said he might be able to pay growers an extra £1/t for 1 year contracts and £1.50/t for 3 year contracts. The game is up

 

[nick...]

I'm not sure if it's my Microsoft Teams or everyone elses but this meeting is almost impossible to follow.

The chief executive, Paul Kenward has said he might be able to pay growers an extra £1/t for 1 year contracts and £1.50/t for 3 year contracts. The game is up

What would you spend all that extra money on,seriously that is a kick in the nuts for growers
nick...

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Wouldn't work. UK farmers would sell it if they thought they could turn a few quid in the short term.

Very sad and true.

 

[midlandslad]

MIGHT

 

[DrWazzock]

Nothing is that bright though is it? Without OSR as a reliable break we are on borrowed time here juggling cereals round the rotation. Just waiting for a Take All disaster or more BG problems.
Spring beans anyone?
The options are limited. There is no easy answer. In the ‘80’s we were grossing £40k from our beet, now we are at about £10k gross output due to price drop and quota reduction due to a disaster or two. It’s peanuts really. But everything is peanuts now due to 1970’s commodity prices. You just hope you have enough different peanuts to make a bit. Way it is unfortunately.

 

[Breckland Boy]

Paul Kenward is no farmer.
He knows he can't pay more to us the growers.
We will just have to accept that and find something else to grow.

 

[Daniel]

He speaks as if he personally owns British Sugar. He says 'It's cost me a lot of money' etc. It hasn't cost him anything, he still draws his full salary. It has cost us personally, because most farms are family partnerships.

 

[DrWazzock]

Paul Kenward is no farmer.
He knows he can't pay more to us the growers.
We will just have to accept that and find something else to grow.

He is no farmer. He’s corporate. It’s the same old same old corporate system. I used to work as an engineer. Over my 20 year career I saw the same kind of attitude as pervades corporate culture now. When I started we were paid overtime. By the time I finished we were expected to finish “the job” in however many hours it took on a fixed salary and they always underestimated the time required, Same old same old that every working man is experiencing. Zero hours contracts, travelling miles. Cut throat corporatism. Don’t know what the answer is, just glad I’m over 50.

 

[DrWazzock]

Small farms are corner shops now. It’s nearly over for small to medium scale commodity production unless you can run on a shoestring and inherited a half decenf set up. Diversifications, enviro schemes etc are a better prospect but 200 acre commodity farms are at the fag end of the job. You have really got enjoy doing it and keep lucky to survive.

 

[Tractorstant]

What business has Mr Kenward run.....it's all a bit ambiguous online.

 

[Daniel]

It all warmed up when a chap called Stafford Proctor really nailed the problem, we've all taken a hammering and British Sugar don't care.

Sadly what the growers want and what British Sugar are offering are a country mile apart.