Do the retailers have too much power ?

[westwards]

I watched a webinar on tuesday night and saw Abi Reader talking about aligned contracts and she said that 1 retaler has a policy which say's if you have a cow tests positive for Johne's it has to be culled within 2 weeks !!
I can't believe they are allowed to get away with this, the milk test for Johne's is flawed and should only be used as a guide. Is this the same retailer's who wants you to cull a cow with a virus but yet you can't shoot bull calves !!

Just who are the clever dicks that think these things up ?

 

[lazy farmer]

Well first off it’s not a virus is it. It’s a serious bacteria disease that may effect humans.

 

[jimmer]

Yes, they are calling too many shots and undermining in house assurance schemes by insisting on RT
Most of the big dairies do their own farm welfare audits now they ought to be able to tell the supermarkets to do one in relation to extra lesser schemes
Yes I told our milk buyer this week as did many others

 

[cattow]

I think the important thing Abi Reader said was they can have what they want as long as they pay for it
Loved the Barbers price average producer got 34ppl for November before seasonality

 

[westwards]

Well first off it’s not a virus is it. It’s a serious bacteria disease that may effect humans.

People have been trying to prove a link to humans for years and so far cant ! @lazy farmer

 

[frederick]

People have been trying to prove a link to humans for years and so far cant ! @lazy farmer

Thank goodness for that because a proven link would be a problem. So eradication in case a link is found would put the industry in a much safer place.

 

[organicguy]

Thank goodness for that because a proven link would be a problem. So eradication in case a link is found would put the industry in a much safer place.

Agree entirely but I was told on a Johnes course by a vet that we will eradicate Tb before Johnes!

 

[frederick]

Agree entirely but I was told on a Johnes course by a vet that we will eradicate Tb before Johnes!

But at least we can have herds with 2-3% incidence rather than 15 plus.

 

[ollie989898]

Yes, they are calling too many shots and undermining in house assurance schemes by insisting on RT
Most of the big dairies do their own farm welfare audits now they ought to be able to tell the supermarkets to do one in relation to extra lesser schemes
Yes I told our milk buyer this week as did many others

At least with the schemes the retailers/milk buyers insist upon you can get yourself a premium if you choose to meet the standards they set (and inspector for, more to the point). Compare this to the plight of the cereal farmers who are obliged to comply to RT just to be able to sell their stuff which ends up in the same place as any one else's and no premium is ever paid for it, either.

With Waitrose, Tesco and the like at least if you can't be doing with their requirements you are not obliged to play their game and can take your ball home to play with it wherever you like instead.

If you ask me the only problem with dairy assurance is that there is simply no need for RT because you are all obliged to comply with trading standards and food hygiene regulations and then meet the additional demands set by your buyers. Red tractor for dairy farms is a complete waste of time when a lot of you, such as Barbers suppliers are already meeting standards way in excess of those RT sets.

And lastly, if milk buyers stipulate that they want milk from herds that are doing X or Y to eliminate Johnes disease then you can be sure their ultimate customer is probably keen to see the same thing. I know Barbers are quite stringent and have a hand in the export game. Can you blame them for insisting their producers do something about infectious diseases if they are selling product to China or something where Johnes disease is a matter in the minds of the consumer?

 

[betweenthelines]

Why would a Processor be concerned about Johnes disease? Is there any evidence that it can be passed to humans through milk?

And if one in ten thousand of their customers knew what Johnes was, I'd be gobsmacked.

 

[som farmer]

rather think RT devise new rules, then exert hard work, in getting the retailers to agree with them, while we despise a lot of the pointless rules brought in, you cannot blame them from ensuring their business expands, we all would do the same. The problem is simple, they have no control on them, to keep them in the realms of reality, and practicability.
Perhaps, hopefully, as food price rise, as supply lowers, they will cease to be relevant.

 

[Farmer Keith]

Is the issue with the time frame or being told to cull for Johnes? If it’s the latter is that not something we should all be doing anyways? Regardless of how sound the link is between it and chrones it’s not something you want in your herd full stop. Farmer at discussion group has had over 25% of last years heifers come back positive despite following all the Johnes protocols in his eyes, what a disaster. I fully understand that it is going to be really really tough to eradicate but schemes like this improve the odds and should be commended.

 

[ollie989898]

Why would a Processor be concerned about Johnes disease? Is there any evidence that it can be passed to humans through milk?

And if one in ten thousand of their customers knew what Johnes was, I'd be gobsmacked.

I understand Barbers were or are exporting milk powder for infant formula to Asia and so were asking producers to tackle Johnes disease. They are themselves pretty serious farmers but their motivations for tackling johnes must be for a reason.

To be fair, the pig and poultry sectors both cleaned up their acts in a big way, there is no reason the UK diary industry could not be totally johnes and BVD free if the will existed.

RT are a superfluous organisation in the dairy world if you ask me since the bulk of producers will be working within much more stringent requirements as dictated by their buyers.