Going without Red tractor Farm Assurance

[William Mellor]

Got my Farm assurance inspection coming up soon, looking thro all the rules and recommendations and has got me seriously thinking is there any milk buyer out their that will take my milk without being farm assured? Would seriously consider doing it and surely there’s some dairy farmers already out there doing so.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

 

[Beef farmer]

Got my Farm assurance inspection coming up soon, looking thro all the rules and recommendations and has got me seriously thinking is there any milk buyer out their that will take my milk without being farm assured? Would seriously consider doing it and surely there’s some dairy farmers already out there doing so.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

@eulb knows of someone I believe

 

[RobFZS]

Cant blame you, RT is a joke and we told them to get fvcked

 

[William Mellor]

Cant blame you, RT is a joke and we told them to get fvcked

Feel the same, what did they say to that?

 

[RobFZS]

Feel the same, what did they say to that?

cant quite remember now, it's always buck passing with them, no one is accountable and its just more for less.

 

[Jon]

Think yourselves lucky.

I rear pigs and have four assurance bodies to please.

Yet they'll send the pigs to slaughter on a six hour journey because the top knobs of two companies fell out, so refuse to use a factory half an hour away !

Makes us very angry about jumping through hoops, and the pigs welfare at the end is of no concern !!!!

 

[wasted years]

I've just gone RT dairy after supplying a small dairy up here that didn't need it and switched to Woodcock .
Had the inspection and wasn't too much to do (4 things) so we were surprised really, so much depends on the inspector though, he was decent enough.

 

[Sparkymark]

Yeh the inspector makes a big difference. Some are little hitlers, some use bit of common sense.

 

[JP1]

Think yourselves lucky.

I rear pigs and have four assurance bodies to please.

Yet they'll send the pigs to slaughter on a six hour journey because the top knobs of two companies fell out, so refuse to use a factory half an hour away !

Makes us very angry about jumping through hoops, and the pigs welfare at the end is of no concern !!!!

Latest on NPA newsletter:

"

• Last week saw the publication of an interim report from the Farm Inspection and Regulation Review, chaired by Dame Glenys Stacey, which recommends that a new single farm inspectorate should replace the current range of inspection bodies on farms. NPA welcomed the principles outlined in the report, particularly the desire for reduced inspections, cost savings and sharing of data between agencies. But we have called for more clarity over who would pay for the single inspection body and assurances that it would not add another level of bureaucracy."

 

[William Mellor]

I've just gone RT dairy after supplying a small dairy up here that didn't need it and switched to Woodcock .
Had the inspection and wasn't too much to do (4 things) so we were surprised really, so much depends on the inspector though, he was decent enough.

Did Woodcock insist on RT FA?

 

[William Mellor]

Think yourselves lucky.

I rear pigs and have four assurance bodies to please.

Yet they'll send the pigs to slaughter on a six hour journey because the top knobs of two companies fell out, so refuse to use a factory half an hour away !

Makes us very angry about jumping through hoops, and the pigs welfare at the end is of no concern !!!!

In time I can see Dairy RT FA going the same way

 

[wasted years]

Did Woodcock insist on RT FA?

Yes, no option.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Just be aware that if you drop RT you are more likely to get a cross compliance or FSA inspection.

 

[applejack]

I think you will find it difficult to secure a home for non assured milk now, I sold my cows recently (not because of RT just someone made me a sensible offer, and I wasn't intending to milk for too much longer ).I never had many issues with FA but to be honest I think it's getting to the stage where it will drive decent farmers out.

Tin hat on now, but at my last assessment in October the assessor was particularly critical of Arla,more and more hoops every review. Control freaks springs to mind, my words not his BTW and no I didn't ever supply them.

Here we go.. .......

 

[William Mellor]

Yeh the inspector makes a big difference. Some are little hitlers, some use bit of common sense.

Just be aware that if you drop RT you are more likely to get a cross compliance or FSA inspection.

already got an FSA inspection due to an antibotic failure which had nothing to do with me(see my last thread).

 

[Monty]

Maybe you could try a different assurance scheme if there are still others about. We used to be with freedom foods years ago until dad got pee'd off with them being very uppity about the number of available cubicles for our heifers and had no real interest in the health or well being of our animals. So he wrote them a very angry letter explaining this and we never had an inspection for about 5 years after that until our dairy realised then we moved on to red tractor. TBH I think It's actually worth all the mither as we saw a big increase in prices for our barren cows and calves which more than paid for the fees and the wasted day telling the inspector what they want to hear.

We generally get a few non compliances to fix each year which tend to be straightforward to do but i remember one year I didn't have time to fix a parlour feed trough but sorted the other stuff out and emailed the pics/evidence but they still passed us and sent the thank you letter and stickers out despite not sorting the trough out in time. Kind of makes a mockery of the whole thing really.

 

[William Mellor]

cant quite remember now, it's always buck passing with them, no one is accountable and its just more for less.

Did you pass the inspection?

 

[William Mellor]

Maybe you could try a different assurance scheme if there are still others about. We used to be with freedom foods years ago until dad got pee'd off with them being very uppity about the number of available cubicles for our heifers and had no real interest in the health or well being of our animals. So he wrote them a very angry letter explaining this and we never had an inspection for about 5 years after that until our dairy realised then we moved on to red tractor. TBH I think It's actually worth all the mither as we saw a big increase in prices for our barren cows and calves which more than paid for the fees and the wasted day telling the inspector what they want to hear.

We generally get a few non compliances to fix each year which tend to be straightforward to do but i remember one year I didn't have time to fix a parlour feed trough but sorted the other stuff out and emailed the pics/evidence but they still passed us and sent the thank you letter and stickers out despite not sorting the trough out in time. Kind of makes a mockery of the whole thing really.

What other assurance schemes are there?

 

[William Mellor]

I've just gone RT dairy after supplying a small dairy up here that didn't need it and switched to Woodcock .
Had the inspection and wasn't too much to do (4 things) so we were surprised really, so much depends on the inspector though, he was decent enough.

What was the name of the small dairy you was with before Woodcock PM me if you like

 

[celtis man]

I think you will find it difficult to secure a home for non assured milk now, I sold my cows recently (not because of RT just someone made me a sensible offer, and I wasn't intending to milk for too much longer ).I never had many issues with FA but to be honest I think it's getting to the stage where it will drive decent farmers out.

Tin hat on now, but at my last assessment in October the assessor was particularly critical of Arla,more and more hoops every review. Control freaks springs to mind, my words not his BTW and no I didn't ever supply them.

Here we go.. .......

Applejack your inspector was dead right