Martin Grantley Smith “moved on” / “retired”

[Grass And Grain]

I think Martin Grantley- Smith was or maybe even still is on a Red Tractor board ?

It was Martin. Might still be.

Who ever it is on the RT Combinable board from AHDB, maybe they can get us a dead easy market access issue sorted. Should be straight forward...

RT livestock schemes allow non-assured grain to be purchased and fed to RT beef, lamb and dairy, but not to pork or chicken. All the grain farmer has to do is fill out a declaration that the feed is safe etc.

Can AHDB please ask RT to amend this to include pork and chicken. Easy win.

RT have already said non-assured grain should have equal market access to the feed sector, so this should he a given. Why haven't AHDB sorted this out for us? AHDB are supposed to be doing this sort of thing, not me!

 

[Andy26]

If the emails are in the public domain can someone with better computer skills than me please post them on here or at least where we can see them.

Ahdb : Freedom of information requests.

I have recieved the below from AHDB , and they have told me its public domain information so do what you like with it! Its Sept 8th thats most telling , but I think it all tells a story and shows they do take notice of TFF. I'll be interested in what you all think.

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[bobk]

Ahdb : Freedom of information requests.

I have recieved the below from AHDB , and they have told me its public domain information so do what you like with it! Its Sept 8th thats most telling , but I think it all tells a story and shows they do take notice of TFF. I'll be interested in what you all think.

thefarmingforum.co.uk

Read it , am I thick

 

[hally]

Bloody cheek that the "engagement officer " chastising levy members for discussing Ahdb personell then fails to engage with the members. Its about time this organisation was replaced with a set up that is fit for purpose.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Read it , am I thick

According to ADHB the "Customer" is the Mills and their Customers.

ADHB obviously do not understand their business model and are literally employees of AIC, NFU & RT - whereas they should be employees of the people who pay their wages, that means US.

Notice how these "Working Groups" have no farmers on them. ie the people paying the bills.

AIC should be booted out of the whole system. It's not up to them what checks are made on grain or how - that's how and why the system has been balanced against UK farmers - to facilitate imports to keep UK prices down. Blatant racketeering.

If AIC want to be involved then they should pay like everyone else.

ADHB should be opening up markets including foreign markets for UK farmers - not closing them down for the benefit of UK millers.

 

[hally]

Surely in this day, farmer involvement should not be difficult. Instead of having the same old faces on these boards ( we know the type, smooth talkers but ultimately looking after themselves and would much prefer to be in a meeting in a tie than actual doing farm work), how about the ahdb having a thousand stakeholders who vote on the future direction of the organisation from their own farm. It could be done in the evening so as not to interupt the days farming and so no travel, hotel expenses etc. This would surely be more democratic and representative than the current " i will scratch your back" type of ex nfu types we are getting now.

 

[wanton dwarf]

I’m Will Jackson from AHDB.

I wouldn’t normally post on here. However I think it’s important to clear up that this is not true.

I think that speculation about individuals and their jobs is appalling and shouldn’t be discussed on a public forum.

Will.

I've read the e-mails in the freedom of information request.

I am quite frankly disturbed to see ADHB, NFU, RT and AIC all working together - without oversight from UK farmers. You know, the people who PAY YOUR WAGES.

I am also VERY disturbed about the bias against farmers who are in evidence on The Farmers Forum & Farmers Weekly. Regardless of how many or how few are involved, we farmers pay the Levy and everyone single one of us should have a say. No farmer should be excluded - I am a member of the No Fudging Use organisation as well - they are little more than an insurance agency.

On the evidence I see here today I will be voting to remove the cereals levy from ADHB because I find your organisation wholely incompetant.

Beyond this debarcle we have seen very little to no interaction with your customers base - ie FARMERS - concerning our day in day out struggle to make a living and PAY OUR BILLS. I am disgusted in the current offering on Pesticides and Cultural control from ADHB - my spray rep is far more organised, dilligent and competant.

If you are a so called "Engagement Officer" then I'd like to point out there has been no evidence in my e-mail inbox for years if not decades.

 

[bobk]

Will.

I've read the e-mails in the freedom of information request.

I am quite frankly disturbed to see ADHB, NFU, RT and AIC all working together - without oversight from UK farmers. You know, the people who PAY YOUR WAGES.

I am also VERY disturbed about the bias against farmers who are in evidence on The Farmers Forum & Farmers Weekly. Regardless of how many or how few are involved, we farmers pay the Levy and everyone single one of us should have a say. No farmer should be excluded - I am a member of the No Fudging Use organisation as well - they are little more than an insurance agency.

On the evidence I see here today I will be voting to remove the cereals levy from ADHB because I find your organisation wholely incompetant.

Beyond this debarcle we have seen very little to no interaction with your customers base - ie FARMERS - concerning our day in day out struggle to make a living and PAY OUR BILLS. I am disgusted in the current offering on Pesticides and Cultural control - my spray rep is far more organised, dilligent and competant.

If you are a so called "Engagement Officer" then I'd like to point out there has been no evidence in my e-mail inbox for years if not decades.

He won't return , another arse licker , send your post to TheTelegraph

 

[colhonk]

We can all vote against the ADHB shortly , Oh and by the way, they are still going to give our money to rt when they want.

 

[ajd132]

We can all vote against the ADHB shortly , Oh and by the way, they are still going to give our money to rt when they want.

Pretty sure there isn’t a vote to disband the AHDB. It’s to vote for a consultation on how you want them to use funds in the future? May be wrong.

 

[Top Tip.]

All these so-called producer organisations have been taken over by suits and there is a complete disconnect between the producers and the actual organisations. They were set up as quality assurance organisations but they have become quality control with them wielding ever more control over us the idiots at the coal face.

 

[bobk]

All these so-called producer organisations have been taken over by suits and there is a complete disconnect between the producers and the actual organisations. They were set up as quality assurance organisations but they have become quality control with them wielding ever more control over us the idiots at the coal face.

Bob on

 

[Grass And Grain]

Read it , am I thick

Think people are referring to page 7/8. Levy payer emails AHDB man saying FW are going to publish an article, idea is it brings the issue out into the open and puts public pressure on AIC and RT to come up with a solution to grain markets unlevel playing field. The farmer levy payer says he/she has got the article published in FW to help AHDB's negotiating position with RT/AIC. Presumption being that AHDB are going to work their hardest to get fairer market access for levy payers.


AHDB then immediately email RT, AIC, NFU and UK Flour Millers "in the spirit of keeping them in the loop".

Therefore, I guess the presumption is AHDB think it's more important to help and inform RT, AIC, UK Flour Miller's, NFU (all have people on the RT boards), than it is to help farmer levy payers. Suggestion being that AHDB have forgotten who they work for. tbf flour miller's will be levy payers, but RT and AIC are not levy payers.

When AHDB use terms along the lines of 'members of the Farming Forum are getting the upper hand with this issue', it suggests they are working against the views of the farmer levy payers (who want fairer market access).

I don't think it's done intentionally against the interests of the farmer levy payers. But rather that AHDB have forgotten what their remit is, and think they should run off and discuss everything with RT, AIC and NFU (NFU being so closely associated with RT that you can't ignore the conflict of interest) - the very organisation whose rules mean UK farmers are hoodwinked into purchasing RT membership. They should work at opening markets for levy payers - that's one of their remits. Looks like AHDB's allegiances are misplaced? Looks like they've become accustomed to working for the interests of RT and RT's income.

If UK farmers are not afforded the same market access methods as imports, but locked into RT, then you can understand why the OP uses the word "corrupt". If a method of market access is allowed for imports and considered safe grain, then there's absolutely no reason why UK grain shouldn't be able to use the same method.

No-one wants to let us out of the sticky little grasp of RT or SQC because they know they'll fail unless it's compulsory. The gravy jug would be split open, and all the gravy would end up trampled into the floor. Just look which organisations received those emails and are being kept "in the loop".

 

[Goweresque]

Pretty sure there isn’t a vote to disband the AHDB. It’s to vote for a consultation on how you want them to use funds in the future? May be wrong.

You're right, they've backtracked on the promise given at the time of the Horticulture and Potato votes to allow all sectors to vote on their levies every 5 years. Now its just a vote on how the levy should be spent, not whether it should continue or not.

No matter. Everyone should just write on the ballot papers something along the lines of 'End the cereals levy and close AHDB Cereals down' and put a tick by that. If everyone did that they might get the message.

The other thing in our favour is that they will have to communicate with all levy payers in order to run the consultation vote, and people will be receiving documentation and sending their voting slips back, so that would be the perfect time to run a campaign get everyone to send in a letter at the same time demanding a real abolition vote. We only need 5% of levy payers (IIRC) to formally trigger an abolition vote.

 

[bobk]

Think people are referring to page 7/8. Levy payer emails AHDB man saying FW are going to publish an article, idea is it brings the issue out into the open and puts public pressure on AIC and RT to come up with a solution to grain markets unlevel playing field. The farmer levy payer says he/she has got the article published in FW to help AHDB's negotiating position with RT/AIC. Presumption being that AHDB are going to work their hardest to get fairer market access for levy payers.


AHDB then immediately email RT, AIC, NFU and UK Flour Millers "in the spirit of keeping them in the loop".

Therefore, I guess the presumption is AHDB think it's more important to help and inform RT, AIC, UK Flour Miller's, NFU (all have people on the RT boards), than it is to help farmer levy payers. Suggestion being that AHDB have forgotten who they work for. tbf flour miller's will be levy payers, but RT and AIC are not levy payers.

When AHDB use terms along the lines of 'members of the Farming Forum are getting the upper hand with this issue', it suggests they are working against the views of the farmer levy payers (who want fairer market access).

I don't think it's done intentionally against the interests of the farmer levy payers. But rather that AHDB have forgotten what their remit is, and think they should run off and discuss everything with RT, AIC and NFU (NFU being so closely associated with RT that you can't ignore the conflict of interest) - the very organisation who's rules mean UK farmers are hoodwinked into purchasing RT membership. They should work at opening markets for levy payers - that's one of their remits. Looks like AHDB's allegiances are misplaced? Looks like they've become accustomed to working for the interests of RT and RT's income.

If UK farmers are not afforded the same market access methods as imports, but locked into RT, then you can understand why the OP uses the word "corrupt". If a method of market access is allowed for imports and considered safe grain, then there's absolutely no reason why UK grain shouldn't be able to use the same method.

No-one wants to let us out of the sticky little grasp of RT or SQC because they know they'll fail unless it's compulsory. The gravy jug would be split open, and all the gravy would end up trampled into the floor. Just look which organisations received those emails and are being kept "in the loop".

Sorry only saw 1

 

[teslacoils]

They will attempt to remove our ability to call for a vote to remove them. Mark my words.

Let's see if this chap responds. If not, screenshot him and tweet the f**k out of it all over their social media.

If the engagement officer won't engage with farmers then *he* needs to be sacked. Or redeployed, or whatever they call it now. Hopefully to the dole queue.

Bet it's fing simple to engage with the port, canapes, three courses and cigars. Trebles all round.

 

[bobk]

They will attempt to remove our ability to call for a vote to remove them. Mark my words.

Let's see if this chap responds. If not, screenshot him and tweet the f**k out of it all over their social media.

If the engagement officer won't engage with farmers then *he* needs to be sacked. Or redeployed, or whatever they call it now. Hopefully to the dole queue.

Bet it's fing simple to engage with the port, canapes, three courses and cigars. Trebles all round.

YES ..... bit of cyber warfare .

 

[steveR]

Will is a “ Engagement Director” and has just said he wouldn’t normally post on here

Who does he engage with then...?

 

[glasshouse]

This is just the moment for all farmers to decline to pay their subs to RT and end the farce

 

[teslacoils]

This is just the moment for all farmers to decline to pay their subs to RT and end the farce

I'd rather not pay my levy tbh. RT at least gets me access to markets that *should* be free. Levy, which is dearer than my RT sub, gets me exactly nothing.

Nothing
At
All
Of
Value
To
My
Business