DEFRA Q&A Janet Hughes

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
In her last post on the Q&A session tonight @JanetHughesDefra wrote:-

Thanks very much everyone for such a wide range of questions - we've not quite answered them all but I hope I and my team have done them justice!

Let us know what you think, if this has been helpful we'll be happy to do this again :)

The thread was then promptly closed!

It would have been useful if the conversation could have been continued through that thread and answered given to all of the questions. A cynic might believe that the more difficult questions were ignored.
It would help me and I hope others to have the opportunity to read the answers to all of the questions asked and to ask suplementaries. I appreciate that there are helplines run by the RPA etc but I have neither the time or the patience to deal with call centres where the temps employed may or may not have an up to date brief that they understand..
If DEFRA policy makers were prepared to have an ongoing debate on here the answers will come from the top and be a matter of record and therefore of some use and perhaps encouragement to farmers distrustful of consultations that tick boxes but are not much else use.
 
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In her last post on the Q&A session tonight @JanetHughesDefra wrote:-

Thanks very much everyone for such a wide range of questions - we've not quite answered them all but I hope I and my team have done them justice!

Let us know what you think, if this has been helpful we'll be happy to do this again :)

The thread was then promptly closed!

It would have been useful if the conversation could have been continued through that thread and answered given to all of the questions. A cynic might believe that the more difficult questions were ignored.
It would help me and I hope others to have the opportunity to read the answers to all of the questions asked and to ask suplementaries. I appreciate that there are helplines run by the RPA etc but I have neither the time or the patience to deal with call centres where the temps employed may or may not have an up to date brief that they understand..
If DEFRA policy makers were prepared to have an ongoing debate on here the answers will come from the top and be a matter of record rather than from some temp on the end of a phone who may or may not have cared enough to understand their brief.
My questions went unanswered, i noticed in one of her replies to someone some nonsense about advising farmers to add value and cut costs, as if farmers arent trying to make profit already???? No mention of the ever increasing costs farmers face or how removing a big chunk from their net profit will help the industry or attract youngsters into an already poorly paid profession, no mention how we compete on beef production with our heavily subsidised irish neighbours either
 

delilah

Member
If DEFRA policy makers were prepared to have an ongoing debate on here the answers will come from the top and be a matter of record

Which is why I don't think it can work.

I am full of admiration for Janet coming on here in a live format, and for doing the q and a's with Clive, however she will be quite aware that to give any definitive answer to anything would be making herself a hostage to fortune.

From the other side of the fence, farmers pushing for such definitive answers is counter-productive. Do you want Defra to commit to something you don't want to hear, or do you want them to take on board your views in the hope that they change the SFI ?

To my mind, everyone should keep submitting their constructive ideas for the SFI, and leave Defra to digest them in their own time. Demanding on-the-spot answers isn't going to help.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
How many hours have people spent (wasted) on ELMS already? People assume I’ve lots of spare time unfilled to mull all this over and read hundreds of pages of literature. I haven’t. I’m a working fsrmer, presently doing about 12 hours a day, 7 days a week between farming and mending machinery. No spare time for any of this I’m afraid. I think there is this assumption that we have bags of free time. Well I haven’t. ELS was as much as I could manage. Why it had to changed I’ll never know. It had just got bedded in. Keep it simple if you want reasonable uptake.
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
My questions went unanswered, i noticed in one of her replies to someone some nonsense about advising farmers to add value and cut costs, as if farmers arent trying to make profit already???? No mention of the ever increasing costs farmers face or how removing a big chunk from their net profit will help the industry or attract youngsters into an already poorly paid profession, no mention how we compete on beef production with our heavily subsidised irish neighbours either

You’re Scottish.

Not sure if it’s relevant to you as agriculture is devolved

But what do I know, I’m Welsh
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 35.0%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 28 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 4 2.3%

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

  • 1,285
  • 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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