Cancel your NFU membership now

[Clive]

It's ridiculous. A member is a member, regardless of their farm size, which is a ridiculous measure anyway. You could own a load of land and still be totally incompetent or out of touch with the reality of the industry but would still get a seat and a voice mostly because your salmon cords match everyone else's in the room.

i added to my post after you replied

even more ridiculous is a supermarket or processor member ........ i suspect they hold far more influence than any farmer member does, their membership fee will be eye watering I guess


its BADLY broken, most don’t realise how bad it is and when idiots like myself try to explain we are accused of being “rude” or “naive” etc

 

[ISCO]

It's ridiculous. A member is a member, regardless of their farm size, which is a ridiculous measure anyway. You could own a load of land and still be totally incompetent or out of touch with the reality of the industry but would still get a seat and a voice mostly because your salmon cords match everyone else's in the room.

This is one of a few reasons I left about 5 years ago. As a relatively small farm I never thought they represented my best interests.

 

[Clive]

and to anticipate the usual cry of “make changes from within” ......

I have tried, they are not interested and I am not so stupid that i cant spot a system designed to hold those that do want to make major changes back

I believe I can make bigger changes from the outside and have put lots of time into trying to do so and will continue to do so in the future

I have direct lines of communication to all the right people in government, ahdb, defra and many others that trully make a difference to uk agriculture , I do not need the NFU to “represent” me thanks

 

[tullah]

Having seen the NFU in action over the years on a range of issues, I would say you have precisely 0% chance of them doing anything about your individual concerns. The only way they will wake up is for their membership to plummet. They are only interested in their own agenda and their highly paid jobs and keeping themselves in the perpetual circle-jerk or board positions. Can't you see how it's a revolving door salary train? Ah yes, you were grocery board adjuvicator, how about a job in the AHDB, now a slot here, and there etc etc etc. No wonder nothing ever gets done- it's an echo chamber furnished with personalities that share the same 'NFU: guffaw, guffaw, jolly good show' mindset. Dissenters have no voice.

Just like a bunch of career politicians with no knowledge at all. Take David Millibands charity. He's on pushing £500,000 salary . Would you give to big charities where CEOs have no morals and snouts in trough.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Correct but @Hfd Cattle said the supermarkets don't want it. This one does.

I wasn't meaning the supermarkets don't want one . I'm sure they do now ......but only because the idea was first mooted to them by quango organisations and the NFU and RT have jumped on the bandwagon and basically taken it over with draconian measures . The supermarkets own assurance schemes are a lot less draconium and more common sense than RT .
I appreciate the NFU don't make the rules but by their failure to hold RT in check means they are coherrant to it ....and of course once the NFU have dispensed with you then it's obviously off to RT for a big pay packet as seen by other ex NFU officers .

 

[Henarar]

How many who wish to cancel have spoken to their elected representatives about how they feel? If all you get back is the official NFU line, then fair enough, but if they are prepared to represent you as members, and give your viewpoint then isn't that the way to get results. If every council member was lobbied by their membership then there would be a huge shakeup. Most members don't attend and even less are prepared to voice their opinion at meetings. My phone/email is silent. I know more about my county members feelings from what they post on here than what they say to me.

Speak to your County Chair or Council Delegate, that's what they are for.
I've heard nothing directly from members, but I will be ringing some to gauge opinion.

I assume you've all done the consultations. I have already complained about those.
Must go, frost to work on.

Perhaps its time the NFU changed the way it communicates with members ?
why not have a NFU forum where members can give their thoughts/opinions on different topics ?
If the powers that be don't want it why not have a county based one ?

I go to some meetings but hardly say anything, usually think of what I should have said on the way home, with a forum you have time to think about what you want to say.
Not sure what position you hold with the NFU but why not move with the times ? make life easy for members ?
It wouldn't have to be like TFF, proper names/membership numbers would quell most of the silliness.
Give me a good reason why it isn't a good idea ?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

i added to my post after you replied

even more ridiculous is a supermarket or processor member ........ i suspect they hold far more influence than any farmer member does, their membership fee will be eye watering I guess


its BADLY broken, most don’t realise how bad it is and when idiots like myself try to explain we are accused of being “rude” or “naive” etc

And you can live in the city ...own no land ... and be a member of the NFU . Vegans ,veggies and any other anti farming folk .

 

[Clive]

Perhaps its time the NFU changed the way it communicates with members ?
why not have a NFU forum where members can give their thoughts/opinions on different topics ?
If the powers that be don't want it why not have a county based one ?

I go to some meetings but hardly say anything, usually think of what I should have said on the way home, with a forum you have time to think about what you want to say.
Not sure what position you hold with the NFU but why not move with the times ? make life easy for members ?
It wouldn't have to be like TFF, proper names/membership numbers would quell most of the silliness.
Give me a good reason why it isn't a good idea ?

i “think” they did have a forum once ? maybe they didn’t like what the majority of members had to say

i was told that even on the nfu RT live teams meet last week that some questions were not appearing so being moderated ?

social media and forums mean free speech and that clearly is not something that sits well with the way the NFU is run

 

[Sid]

I wasn't meaning the supermarkets don't want one . I'm sure they do now ......but only because the idea was first mooted to them by quango organisations and the NFU and RT have jumped on the bandwagon and basically taken it over with draconian measures . The supermarkets own assurance schemes are a lot less draconium and more common sense than RT .
I appreciate the NFU don't make the rules but by their failure to hold RT in check means they are coherrant to it ....and of course once the NFU have dispensed with you then it's obviously off to RT for a big pay packet as seen by other ex NFU officers .

Would that be because producers are already RT?

If you produce for a supermarket is one of the stipulations that you are RT assured?

Would you not say anyone who has held one if the top table or board chair positions not be up to speed with both regional, national and international farming. Be well connected and have the ear of various associations etc , therefore be the best person for the job in RT or another industry body?

 

[tullah]

Would that be because producers are already RT?

If you produce for a supermarket is one of the stipulations that you are RT assured?

Would you not say anyone who has held one if the top table or board chair positions not be up to speed with both regional, national and international farming. Be well connected and have the ear of various associations etc , therefore be the best person for the job in RT or another industry body?

Well connected and ear to ground my foot!
That's how Kinnock, Blair and co got to hold top jobs, big salaries in the EU. It all stinks.

 

[milkloss]

I can foresee there being issues. If you don't get enough members of either RT or the NFU to walk then you will be left with organisations with members of the same ilk with no dissenters to keep them in check. In some ways this will make them more influential and perhaps more effective at what they do.

 

[hally]

I know, 100%, where you are coming from. But we wont be cancelling. Various attempts at representative bodies have come and gone. Very difficult to start from scratch in an expanding industry, never mind a retracting one. The reality is, whether anyone likes it or not, that our best hope of decent representation is to get the NFU to do its job better. Which starts with members kicking off and telling their elected reps what needs to change, not just muttering on here.

Give me a vote, if I had the chance to vote a member into office who I know will convey my dismay at how red tractor has evolved, then I will rejoin tomorrow.

 

[hally]

Do not confuse the NFU Mutual Insurance Society Ltd. with the NFU.
The words Mutual and Ltd. have a very significant meaning here.
You do not have to be an NFU member to insure with the NFU Mutual.

Though it might be worth considering mentioning to them that their continued business with you might be at risk if the NFU itself doesn’t seriously review its position regarding RT.

They are not complete separate entities, back handlers and incentives very much tie them together.

 

[hally]

this is the issue - they don’t have the same requirements for the imports - we are happy to supply on the same basis as they buy from overseas. ie no FARM level assurance

its being questioned if this is even legal

but the NFU support them and seem happy that uk farmers are disadvantaged in this way, the NFU created RT and still own a bog part of it , boards ate full of current and ex nfu employees and officers etc ...... join the dots

I would love to see the dog worming plans and vet health scheme( £100 to state the bloody obvious ) of all my foreign competitors importing red meat.

 

[ShireFarmer]

Why does this question remain unanswered? Is there some deep subtle meaning that I'm missing?

Seems straight forward and a serious question to me. So far, I've noted that one poster pays £700......

I pay just over £500 and a proud member. We need a voice representing our industry on all topics and no organisation can ever please 100% of it members. In terms of cost I believe every member pays a certain rate of about £250 and then the cost goes up depending on the size of the farm.

I personally think it is money well spent, In the last 12 months they have saved the tax relief on red diesel, created the trade and standards commission and i am in my 2nd year culling badgers which has seen TB levels already drop in the area. I am sure there are more examples but without them i am sure i would be a lot more than £500 worse off.

I attend the odd meeting and have met with my MP during an NFU session and always found MPs to be very engaged with them. I got an email this week saying the NFU conference in two weeks will have Boris Johnson, Kier Starmer, Geoge Eustice and liz Truss presenting and taking questions. That shows they have a voice and it is a voice farmers need.

 

[jondear]

This is one of a few reasons I left about 5 years ago. As a relatively small farm I never thought they represented my best interests.

Try being Organic and small !Even worse!

 

[Two Tone]

They are not complete separate entities, back handlers and incentives very much tie them together.

They are however, separate enough that anybody could resign their membership of the NFU, whilst happily continuing to insure through the Mutual.

It would be a misnomer for anybody to assume that it would cause difficulties, otherwise.
The only difficulties it will cause, is to the NFU’s coffers.

Interestingly, on the advice of his insurance broker, my neighbour switched all his insurances to the Mutual and was mislead into believing that he had to become a member of the NFU. When I told him that he didn’t need to, he was very annoyed, to say the least!

 

[D14]

Anybody thinking the vehicle discount scheme as part of the membership is worth anything needs to think again. A close friend is a salesperson for the local Toyota branch. He's recently quoted me for a new Hilux. I asked him what the NFU discount would be on top of the price and he said nothing. I've known him 20 years so take his word for it. He used to work for Audi and their attitude was the same. Salespeople quote the lowest price they can to get the sale so its not in their interest to offer a none nfu member a worse deal because as he said theres hardly any nfu members across the population compared to the number of buyers of hilux's.

 

[An Gof]

I pay just over £500 and a proud member. We need a voice representing our industry on all topics and no organisation can ever please 100% of it members. In terms of cost I believe every member pays a certain rate of about £250 and then the cost goes up depending on the size of the farm.

I personally think it is money well spent, In the last 12 months they have saved the tax relief on red diesel, created the trade and standards commission and i am in my 2nd year culling badgers which has seen TB levels already drop in the area. I am sure there are more examples but without them i am sure i would be a lot more than £500 worse off.

I attend the odd meeting and have met with my MP during an NFU session and always found MPs to be very engaged with them. I got an email this week saying the NFU conference in two weeks will have Boris Johnson, Kier Starmer, Geoge Eustice and liz Truss presenting and taking questions. That shows they have a voice and it is a voice farmers need.

Good post ........ but you joined today and this is your first post ........just makes me a little suspicious. What office/role do you hold?

 

[jondear]

Good post ........ but you joined today and this is your first post ........just makes me a little suspicious. What office/role do you hold?

Well spotted Poirot !.May just be coincidence.