GFC was to go ahead - now not going ahead

[yellowbelly]

I'd cut him a bit of slack, he was potentially doing his old bosses job

Maybe so, but...

....I'd have to agree with GUTH...

Both the AHDB and Tom Bradshaw have lied time and time again over the GFC issue since the RT board meeting last Sept

 

[SilliamWhale]

Both the AHDB and Tom Bradshaw have lied time and time again over the GFC issue since the RT board meeting last Sept so untill RT have officially withdrawn launching the GFC i would take the above statement by the NFU/AHDB with a pince of salt.

The NFU/AHDB statement means nothing if the RT board vote the GFC thru at the next board meeting.

The above statement could just be a PR job for the NFU/AHDB to say we tried to stop the GFC but could not so do not blame us now its introduced..

The BRC will certainly not be happy and they may well threaten to pull out of RT and launch their own scheme anyway unless the GFC is introduced.

The battle is far from won yet and never count your chickens untill all the eggs have hatched............

I don't think they really have votes though. They pretend they do but I think it's been the Jim and Christine show while others call in on zoom and collect an appearance fee

Its governance is very murky, in fact deplorable given that we are "members"

 

[slackjawedyokel]

I don't think they really have votes though. They pretend they do but I think it's been the Jim and Christine show while others call in on zoom and collect an appearance fee

Jim and Christine might think they run the show, but where would they be if all the farmers left?

Up a certain creek sans paddle- that’s where!

 

[Drillman]

Jim and Christine might think they run the show, but where would they be if all the farmers left?

Up a certain creek sans paddle- that’s where!

Jim just agrees with which ever side is winning I reckon he must have some French and Italian in him……

 

[gone up the hill]

I don't think they really have votes though. They pretend they do but I think it's been the Jim and Christine show while others call in on zoom and collect an appearance fee

So then its clear if its Jim Christine and the BRC show then GFC will still go ahead and the above statement by the NFU/AHDB is not worth the paper its written on.

Clear by what the NFU/AHDB said in that statement that they back RT and farm assurance 100% and suffice if RT still introduce the GFC in April as planned the NFU will not be telling members to quit the scheme and neither will the NFU or AHDB pull their support for RT even if the GFC is introduced.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Jim and Christine might think they run the show, but where would they be if all the farmers left?

Up a certain creek sans paddle- that’s where!

Agreed. We are only there because of duress, certainly not because of those pair marketing skills

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Here’s the official line from NFU & AHDB

Joint Statement:
The UK Farming Unions and AHDB have agreed the following advisory statement after they received the final investigatory report from consultants Campbell Tickell which reviewed the governance of Red Tractor.
While the review found Red Tractor had followed the agreed governance process, it showed this same process had fallen well short of winning the consent of its farming members.
The UK Farming Unions and AHDB believe that Red Tractor should use the recommendations made by Campbell Tickell to rebuild trust with farming members, and have agreed the following advice to the AFS Board and leadership.
Purpose
1. The farming unions and AHDB continue to support the basic objectives that established and underpin the role of Red Tractor.
2. We recognise that Red Tractor fulfils and should retain its position as a principal core farm assurance standard of choice for producers and retailers in the United Kingdom.
We recognise that to retain this position, Red Tractor standards will evolve and will be kept under review, updated and relevant to the market context, reflective of the impact of devolution on agricultural producers and attentive to the different production sectors and systems.
3. The farming unions and AHDB recommend that the AFS leadership team and AFS Board move swiftly to implement the governance recommendations contained in the Campbell Tickell’s report.
We recognise that the AFS Board and leadership team may wish to retain professional expertise to assist with implementation of these recommendations.
4. The farming unions and AHDB request that the AFS Board prioritises re-building trust and partnership with its farming constituency, listening to and engaging with farmers and growers. We recognise our clear support for AFS and its programme is crucial, especially as many among our farming constituencies were vocally sceptical of the Greener Farms Commitment, and, by extension, Red Tractor. Such opposition presents an existential threat to the business. This threat must be addressed by action from Red Tractor that rekindles the spirit of trust, partnership and collective endeavour that characterised Red Tractor’s earlier development. Such action would enable supportive statements from farming stakeholders.
5. The farming unions and AHDB encourage AFS to contribute to the general review of farm assurance which we are sponsoring.
Red Tractor has a dominant market position, longevity and considerable practical experience to offer the independent Commission that will shortly conduct a review of farm assurance. It is vital that the Commission hears these insights during the review.
6. The farming unions and AHDB strongly recommend that the Greener Farms Commitment module development is discontinued. It is for the AFS Board to consider and agree in what form, and when, it should commission work on sustainability standards. We recommend that any development must evidently and transparently work with all constituencies across the food and farming supply chain, learning from the distinctions across UK agriculture and horticulture, and particularly sectors with clear demand.

The UK Farming Unions and AHDB are very clear that the Greener Farms Commitment will be unable to command any level of support no matter what consultation is put in place. Resumption of work on the Greener Farms Commitment module would be extremely damaging to Red Tractor’s reputation. Instead, the AFS board needs to begin from first principles in “full consultation mode” and once trust has been re-established, to offer the best basis for propelling action on these issues.
Ends.

And any independent review of RT governance would surely have noticed that the Farming Unions [England, Scotland, Wales & Ulster] and the AHDB had agreed to this module and to its development without ANY scrutiny of the technical boards and in secrecy so that very few even knew of it.
They are only now deciding to request its demise due to a strong backlash from farmers, not because they have any issue with it.
So jolly well done for clearing up your mess. Something you said you weren't capable of doing when there was to be an introduction of a raft of new measures, just a couple years ago.

We really need an independent body to continually review the actions of our representatives. This is a clear and obvious example of how the NFU and AHDB, at the top levels, have not been worthy of trust.
I hope and pray that the new heads of both organisations will change this.

 

[spin cycle]

I may be wrong but the first 'review' was about rt governance not the gfc?....twas 15 multiple choice questions with responses 1-5 (strongly agree to strongly disagree)....so had little to do with the gfc

thus the union 'u turn' has more to do with the general backlash agin it

if the gfc goes ahead now I wonder what nfu and adhd will do?

is it a coincidence that days after minny leaves this announcement comes out?

kudos to the many who fought the gfc and the 2200 of us that put in 'inadmissable' replies to the first rt governance review

ramblings from non rt slave

edit....freudian slip 'adhd' ..i mean 'ahdb'

 

[jondear]

I see the NFU doing a lot on membership advertising on social media lately !
They didn't realise you could leave a comment for weeks .!All negative !
They now are taken down !

 

[J 1177]

I see the NFU doing a lot on membership advertising on social media lately !
They didn't realise you could leave a comment for weeks .!All negative !
They now are taken down !

Mine was still up last time i checked

 

[David1968]

They've thrown the dog a bone in the hope it will go away and lie down, instead of going for the jugular.

Red Tractor lives on...

 

[DaveGrohl]

Here’s the official line from NFU & AHDB

Joint Statement:
The UK Farming Unions and AHDB have agreed the following advisory statement after they received the final investigatory report from consultants Campbell Tickell which reviewed the governance of Red Tractor.
While the review found Red Tractor had followed the agreed governance process, it showed this same process had fallen well short of winning the consent of its farming members.
The UK Farming Unions and AHDB believe that Red Tractor should use the recommendations made by Campbell Tickell to rebuild trust with farming members, and have agreed the following advice to the AFS Board and leadership.
Purpose
1. The farming unions and AHDB continue to support the basic objectives that established and underpin the role of Red Tractor.
2. We recognise that Red Tractor fulfils and should retain its position as a principal core farm assurance standard of choice for producers and retailers in the United Kingdom.
We recognise that to retain this position, Red Tractor standards will evolve and will be kept under review, updated and relevant to the market context, reflective of the impact of devolution on agricultural producers and attentive to the different production sectors and systems.
3. The farming unions and AHDB recommend that the AFS leadership team and AFS Board move swiftly to implement the governance recommendations contained in the Campbell Tickell’s report.
We recognise that the AFS Board and leadership team may wish to retain professional expertise to assist with implementation of these recommendations.
4. The farming unions and AHDB request that the AFS Board prioritises re-building trust and partnership with its farming constituency, listening to and engaging with farmers and growers. We recognise our clear support for AFS and its programme is crucial, especially as many among our farming constituencies were vocally sceptical of the Greener Farms Commitment, and, by extension, Red Tractor. Such opposition presents an existential threat to the business. This threat must be addressed by action from Red Tractor that rekindles the spirit of trust, partnership and collective endeavour that characterised Red Tractor’s earlier development. Such action would enable supportive statements from farming stakeholders.
5. The farming unions and AHDB encourage AFS to contribute to the general review of farm assurance which we are sponsoring.
Red Tractor has a dominant market position, longevity and considerable practical experience to offer the independent Commission that will shortly conduct a review of farm assurance. It is vital that the Commission hears these insights during the review.
6. The farming unions and AHDB strongly recommend that the Greener Farms Commitment module development is discontinued. It is for the AFS Board to consider and agree in what form, and when, it should commission work on sustainability standards. We recommend that any development must evidently and transparently work with all constituencies across the food and farming supply chain, learning from the distinctions across UK agriculture and horticulture, and particularly sectors with clear demand.

The UK Farming Unions and AHDB are very clear that the Greener Farms Commitment will be unable to command any level of support no matter what consultation is put in place. Resumption of work on the Greener Farms Commitment module would be extremely damaging to Red Tractor’s reputation. Instead, the AFS board needs to begin from first principles in “full consultation mode” and once trust has been re-established, to offer the best basis for propelling action on these issues.
Ends.

From that the word discontinued stands out like a beacon, imo anyway. Not paused, or redeveloped or further consulted on. It seems ominous for the supermarkets‘ cosy little tied up bundle of nonsense that was the WWF-GFC wishlist/scam.

It ain’t over by any means but this alone is an important victory.

There is one baffling thing though. They mention the five farming unions but I’ve only seen four named in any of the media coverage. What’s that all about?

 

[DaveGrohl]

I may be wrong but the first 'review' was about rt governance not the gfc?....twas 15 multiple choice questions with responses 1-5 (strongly agree to strongly disagree)....so had little to do with the gfc

thus the union 'u turn' has more to do with the general backlash agin it

if the gfc goes ahead now I wonder what nfu and adhd will do?

is it a coincidence that days after minny leaves this announcement comes out?

kudos to the many who fought the gfc and the 2200 of us that put in 'inadmissable' replies to the first rt governance review

ramblings from non rt slave

2200? Wow, good work everyone

 

[spin cycle]

2200? Wow, good work everyone

it was pretty amazing....it meant for every response they wanted....they got 100 they didn't....if thats not embarrassing i don't know what is

 

[DaveGrohl]

it was pretty amazing....it meant for every response they wanted....they got 100 they didn't....if thats not embarrassing i don't know what is

And there was us thinking hardly any farmers knew about it! 2200 clearly had heard about it and, moreover, got off their rses and did something about it.

 

[spin cycle]

And there was us thinking hardly any farmers knew about it! 2200 clearly had heard about it and, moreover, got off their rses and did something about it.

i'm sweating now that i've got it right .....there was a thread on here when the review was leaked...then i'm sure i saw the follow up threads.....i'd better go look out a bag for my head just in case

no it's right....appedix 1 of the camp/tick 'report'

 

[Sicknote]

There is one baffling thing though. They mention the five farming unions but I’ve only seen four named in any of the media coverage. What’s that all about?

It's 5 bodies rather than 5 unions, isn't it? 4 unions & AHDB.

 

[spin cycle]

It's 5 bodies rather than 5 unions, isn't it? 4 unions & AHDB.

I liked the bit on the review where 20 bodies were surveyed but only 17 bothered to reply

 

[britishblue]

I see the NFU doing a lot on membership advertising on social media lately !
They didn't realise you could leave a comment for weeks .!All negative !
They now are taken down !

Every morning I left negative comments!

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

And there was us thinking hardly any farmers knew about it! 2200 clearly had heard about it and, moreover, got off their rses and did something about it.

I'm very, very far, from being in favour of this crap, "they" are trying to ride rough shod over us......

The survey did allow multiple entries, so one person could do a number of replies.....so whether its actually 2200 separate replies.