Guy Smiths steps down from Red Tractor

[Clive]

Not such a stupid idea @Clive
Trouble is the person will need to have blessing and support of NFU.
I really don’t know who would want the job, I know someone who applied last time and, with hindsight, is relieved that he did not get it.
I’m scratching my head for possibilities best I can come up with at present is Paul Temple. He’s out of work from AHDB and a big RT supporter he is always pushing whole life assurance for livestock and is anti livestock markets. He would fit in well on the RT Board and have NFU support

i suspect hell would freeze over before I was allowed near a role like that

Ag nepotism dictates you need blessing of the NFU to be given ANY such role in this industry

“change from within” …. ……. don’t make me laugh !!!

 

[Clive]

Not such a stupid idea @Clive
Trouble is the person will need to have blessing and support of NFU.
I really don’t know who would want the job, I know someone who applied last time and, with hindsight, is relieved that he did not get it.
I’m scratching my head for possibilities best I can come up with at present is Paul Temple. He’s out of work from AHDB and a big RT supporter he is always pushing whole life assurance for livestock and is anti livestock markets. He would fit in well on the RT Board and have NFU support

Paul Temple very likely imo

he’s a good guy but i doubt will change anything, he will be more concerned with keeping the job and his employer happy than REALLY fighting farmers corner ……… so probably perfect ……. for red tractor, ahdb and nfu


they REALLY need to employ someone with ZERO NFU or AHDB connection in my opinion to have any credibility now


I’m going to apply ………. if only to prove the point re nepotism !

 

[Exfarmer]

I very much think you should apply @Clive . You are the sort of person who is the future of the industry and what is needed to shake these institutions up.

Meanwhile in the ploughing club they are shaking in their boots at the thought, they may have too hang up their Lynch pins

 

[Clive]

I very much think you should apply @Clive . You are the sort of person who is the future of the industry and what is needed to shake these institutions up.

Meanwhile in the ploughing club they are shaking in their boots at the thought, they may have too hang up their Lynch pins

i would but sadly i would be wasting my time - its extremely unlikely they would appoint someone like me who has been a thorn in their side and will only push to dismantle as much of it as possible!

bit like employing a fox to advise on the future of your chickens really !!

as already said its the NFU who really decided who gets any important role in ag (full on nepotism!). ……… they are not a fan either !

i will apply to prove the point, my CV is more than good enough but that won’t matter

i may even offer to do it without payment, i don’t need gravy !

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Nei Parish is looking for a job

 

[JP1]

I agree with many of the comments / moans about the NFU and especially Red Tractor.
I cannot any longer claim to be a farmer but have done and continue to press for what ever is best for farming.
I have more than once been chairman of the local NFU branch and have an insight in the why's and wherefores of the problems it faces. Firstly the challenges of representing such a diverse industry.
We see regular bitter arguments on here between the myriad of differing views regarding so many issues on agriculture alone. If there were ten different bodies replacing the NFU , you can be certain there would be calls for ten more.
However every time you set up a separate body , you divide the political power and clout in half.
We already have plenty of groups out there, RSPCA, SA, RSPB, The Greens, WWF, CIWF, PETA, The Ramblers, CFRE etc.etc.etc. Who are determined to make farming anything from difficult to down right impossible. Who claim to represent everything in the countryside and country people, and to be brutally honest in terms of pure numbers I would guess they outnumber farmers possibly 100 to one or more in terms of supporters and votes.
Farmers more than ever with their ever declining numbers need a single industry body which represents them all, whatever their views and that is not easy and involves a lot of compromise. Currently the NFU attempts to do this which means it satisfies no one really, but that has always been and always will be the case.
How does it do its job better, that is simple bit needs all members to go along and speak their views. Dont just send dad as has always been the case. I was lucky having chaired my first meeting at the age of 25 after leaving college my father told me that the NFU needed young peoples views and sent me along and rarely went again.
I certainly ruffled many feathers as various old members harrumphed and hummed about these new fangled ideas, while their sons were at home doing just that while dad was not about.
I watched as various members carried on their petty feuds in meeting after meeting which made me very angry as it continually took up time which was valuable. Meeting their sons at agronomy of dairy industry meetings who would laugh at the antics of their fathers, but it kept him out of the way while they ran the farms.
Sadly you have the NFU you have chosen by not going to meetings and supporting candidates like Guy who have worked very hard to modernise things.
I confess, I too never had the time that I would have liked to do more and perhaps go higher in the organisation but I knew also that I would never had the votes from all the old duffers to do it anyway.

I disagree about dilution . Just the opposite . Make it damn clear it’s UK farmers only in BFU, OMOV

Your argument falls apart otherwise a lot of NGO’s would merge . They don’t although I don’t doubt they form strategic lobbying alliances

 

[Grass And Grain]

Not such a stupid idea @Clive
Trouble is the person will need to have blessing and support of NFU.
I really don’t know who would want the job, I know someone who applied last time and, with hindsight, is relieved that he did not get it.
I’m scratching my head for possibilities best I can come up with at present is Paul Temple. He’s out of work from AHDB and a big RT supporter he is always pushing whole life assurance for livestock and is anti livestock markets. He would fit in well on the RT Board and have NFU support

Just reading things on Twitter, Paul seems to see the daftness in allowing cattle to become assured with a 90 day residence.

I don't think he's a 100% fan of Red Tractor, and importantly, he totally gets the grain imports issue. Spoke to him on the phone the other year, and he said you could put some non-assured grain on a boat, take it out the Humber Estuary, come back to port and sell it to a mill, but non-assured UK grain couldn't be sold to a mill.

As chairman of AHDB cereals he wrote a good letter to RT asking them what they were intending to do about the imports issue.

Paul's got board experience and knowledge, and previous NFU office holder.

He just might be a reasonable candidate. Would he stick his neck out and try and make big changes at RT. Not sure, but he just might do so.

 

[steveR]

Nei Parish is looking for a job

Well, as long as he stashes his phone in the box outside the office, he'll do fine.

Joking aside, he would be an interesting person in such a role, although some knowledge of his views beforehand would be useful...

 

[Exfarmer]

I disagree about dilution . Just the opposite . Make it damn clear it’s UK farmers only in BFU, OMOV

Your argument falls apart otherwise a lot of NGO’s would merge . They don’t although I don’t doubt they form strategic lobbying alliances

Sorry JP i do not agree especially about NGO’s merging.
Firstly they would never agree on anything and they know that too well. RSPB merging with Cats League anyone
Secondly they cqn currently say to the government we have X million members, they have Y million and that lot over there have Z million even though there is actually huge overlap.
the only hope for any lobby group is size , which of course equals votes, or to be an overwhelming representative of that group so the government will actually take them seriously as truly representing that industry.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Just reading things on Twitter, Paul seems to see the daftness in allowing cattle to become assured with a 90 day residence.

I don't think he's a 100% fan of Red Tractor, and importantly, he totally gets the grain imports issue. Spoke to him on the phone the other year, and he said you could put some non-assured grain on a boat, take it out the Humber Estuary, come back to port and sell it to a mill, but non-assured UK grain couldn't be sold to a mill.

As chairman of AHDB cereals he wrote a good letter to RT asking them what they were intending to do about the imports issue.

Paul's got board experience and knowledge, and previous NFU office holder.

He just might be a reasonable candidate. Would he stick his neck out and try and make big changes at RT. Not sure, but he just might do so.

I think it's political suicide.

Guy has gone. Who was the woman in the house of lords who voted to let imports in without restrictions? She resigned just after that.

Red tractor is hated by farmers and anyone who works there is guilty by association.

 

[hally]

Not such a stupid idea @Clive
Trouble is the person will need to have blessing and support of NFU.
I really don’t know who would want the job, I know someone who applied last time and, with hindsight, is relieved that he did not get it.
I’m scratching my head for possibilities best I can come up with at present is Paul Temple. He’s out of work from AHDB and a big RT supporter he is always pushing whole life assurance for livestock and is anti livestock markets. He would fit in well on the RT Board and have NFU support

He come up here in the wake of the second foot and mouth outbreak in his NFU capacity, went away very unpopular. I was at a meeting where quite frankly his attitude to the whole thing was a disgrace. One or two of us walked out, so as you say just the type for RT.

 

[ajd132]

Just reading things on Twitter, Paul seems to see the daftness in allowing cattle to become assured with a 90 day residence.

I don't think he's a 100% fan of Red Tractor, and importantly, he totally gets the grain imports issue. Spoke to him on the phone the other year, and he said you could put some non-assured grain on a boat, take it out the Humber Estuary, come back to port and sell it to a mill, but non-assured UK grain couldn't be sold to a mill.

As chairman of AHDB cereals he wrote a good letter to RT asking them what they were intending to do about the imports issue.

Paul's got board experience and knowledge, and previous NFU office holder.

He just might be a reasonable candidate. Would he stick his neck out and try and make big changes at RT. Not sure, but he just might do so.

I’ve always thought Paul has come across as fairly anti RT on twitter

 

[hally]

I’ve always thought Paul has come across as fairly anti RT on twitter

Ultimate yes man and career politician.

 

[JP1]

Sorry JP i do not agree especially about NGO’s merging.
Firstly they would never agree on anything and they know that too well. RSPB merging with Cats League anyone
Secondly they cqn currently say to the government we have X million members, they have Y million and that lot over there have Z million even though there is actually huge overlap.
the only hope for any lobby group is size , which of course equals votes, or to be an overwhelming representative of that group so the government will actually take them seriously as truly representing that industry.

You make my point then . If NGO’s can’t make mergers working and their respective standpoints aren’t diluted them a true farmer run union won’t dilute agriculture’s position . Look at the mess with LiS right now . A friendly pig farmer brought me four feed bags of used Hesston cord for me to use but only after he had to take some to an official waste contractor to get a disposal certificate to comply with a RT requirement at a recent inspection . Barking and this needs to stop . Meanwhile no BCP or inspection posts so how long before we get African Swine Fever over here ?

 

[Andy26]

If it was for ill health reasons really hope Guy is feeling better soon.

 

[Henarar]

reading things on Twitter, Paul seems to see the daftness in allowing cattle to become assured with a 90 day residence

Daft!! Daft!!! That is one of the most sensible rules they have, it means l don't have to be pressed in to paying the mafia.
Best thing to do if anyone wants to keep suckler cow farmers on side is to shut the hell up about that

 

[gone]

"The first item on the agenda of any orginisation should be the split".
From the outside, it seems the UK is taking this to heart over the last decade.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Daft!! Daft!!! That is one of the most sensible rules they have, it means l don't have to be pressed in to paying the mafia.
Best thing to do if anyone wants to keep suckler cow farmers on side is to shut the hell up about that

I see both sides to the debate.

No suckler farmer wants WLA. Agreed.

Does the 90 day rule make RT a nonsense? Yes.

Best outcome would be for RT to have their reputation damaged by having such nonsense rules.

One thing livestock farmers could do is start their own scheme. Make it WLA, hence make RT look poor, but bin off any daft RT standards.

Edit. Alternatively, I agree with the view of not bothering with assurance. Stock are produced to UK/Scottish/etc legislative standards, and so that should be absolutely fine. Let's face it, supermarkets are currently knowingly buying beef when only 90 day residency.

 

[wrenbird]

WLA will kill off every small livestock farm, and most hill and upland farms. @Henarar has it spot on.

 

[Henarar]

Does the 90 day rule make RT a nonsense?

No, spose you could argue that no animal should be RT unless its mother was as there is a bit of the mother [the egg] still in the offspring all its life and as no animals were RT at one time then none should be now.
the line has to be drawn somewhere and its drawn in quite a handy place at the moment thanks very much, unless you get shot of the whole stupid lot that is.

say an RT arable farmer took on some land with growing crop from a non RT farmer, would that crop be RT at harvest ?