NFU claiming credit for 25% SFI cap

[Grass And Grain]

There is only so much money in the pot, two tier system is nothing new

with only so much money Do you support farmers or do you support environment slipper farmers
that said I will get my tin hat

No tin hat required.

If gov want to allow cheap imports, but gold plated costs here such as NVZ's, welfare rules, urea restrictions, neonic bans, fungicide bans, etc....

...then there is absolutely a good case for an agricultural support payment to bridge the economic gap we find ourselves in. In fact it's hard to argue against it.

 

[DrWazzock]

No tin hat required.

If gov want to allow cheap imports, but gold plated costs here such as NVZ's, welfare rules, urea restrictions, neonic bans, fungicide bans, etc....

...then there is absolutely a good case for an agricultural support payment to bridge the economic gap we find ourselves in. In fact it's hard to argue against it.

Spot on.
BPS bridged the gap. I’d even go as far as to say it made RT more palatable. At least somebody was paying us for it, (the taxpayer).
Stewardship provided environmental goods in a controlled and measured way.
Looking back it was exactly the right balance.
Now as producers we are entirely on our own saddled with high costs ahd regulations competing with lower standard imports.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

If you think about it was it such a bad move ?
There is only so much money in the pot, would you rather it went to support a lot of farmers that are producing or support a few farmers that are not ?
I would rather it supported a lot of farmers while the produce.

So won't be going to rant at the NFU rep

Why do the NFU want to limit how much a farmer, maybe even one of it's members, from putting as much of their farm as they want, into SFI?
They point blank refused to support any idea of a cap on BPS, SPS, etc.

And why do they want to stop land being taken out of production?
Because as Minette said, We have to keep the public supplied with cheap food?

I would have a rant at an NFU person to find out.

I really don't understand their motivation.

Farmers simply need a fair return on whatever type of production we are forced to use, to make it financially sustainable. That is what they should be lobbying for.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Spot on.
BPS bridged the gap. I’d even go as far as to say it made RT more palatable. At least somebody was paying us for it, (the taxpayer).
Stewardship provided environmental goods in a controlled and measured way.
Looking back it was exactly the right balance.
Now as producers we are entirely on our own saddled with high costs ahd regulations competing with lower standard imports.

Exactly. There was very justified reasoning for BPS. I think it's wrong for anyone to say there was no valid justification and unpalatable for the taxpayer.

If we all did 25% non-cropping SFI equally across all sectors, I imagine the public will end up paying a lot more than £3 billion extra for their food. So BPS was probably good value.

Tha said I'm happy to see prices rise due to land taken out of production, although it will probably be OSR which sees drops in production and no price rise as they'll just ship it in like they're doing now.

Why do the NFU want to limit how much a farmer, maybe even one of it's members, from putting as much of their farm as they want, into SFI?
They point blank refused to support any idea of a cap on BPS, SPS, etc.

And why do they want to stop land being taken out of production?
Because as Minette said, We have to keep the public supplied with cheap food?

I would have a rant at an NFU person to find out.

I really don't understand their motivation.

Farmers simply need a fair return on whatever type of production we are forced to use, to make it financially sustainable. That is what they should be lobbying for.

A cap would have been sensible as they only had a finite budget, but that's DEFRA's problem/decision which they fudged up.

I'll cut NFU some slack and say their motivation could have been to ensure each farmer got opportunity for an equal slice of the pie. Otherwise I'd agree, NFU shouldn't suggest a cap.

Thinking about it in a different way, why not facilitate low productivity farms to have 100% SFI, but high productivity farms could choose zero % SFI. That makes sense if it worked out OK, but would require DEFRA to ensure the more productive farms had sufficient prices available to them so they didn't use much SFI.

 

[Nearly]

Can't wait for the next headline.
'NFU claim credit for arrival of spring'
If only they'd decided to do something about it a month ago.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Exactly. There was very justified reasoning for BPS. I think it's wrong for anyone to say there was no valid justification and unpalatable for the taxpayer.

If we all did 25% non-cropping SFI equally across all sectors, I imagine the public will end up paying a lot more than £3 billion extra for their food. So BPS was probably good value.

Tha said I'm happy to see prices rise due to land taken out of production, although it will probably be OSR which sees drops in production and no price rise as they'll just ship it in like they're doing now.

A cap would have been sensible as they only had a finite budget, but that's DEFRA's problem/decision which they fudged up.

I'll cut NFU some slack and say their motivation could have been to ensure each farmer got opportunity for an equal slice of the pie. Otherwise I'd agree, NFU shouldn't suggest a cap.

Thinking about it in a different way, why not facilitate low productivity farms to have 100% SFI, but high productivity farms could choose zero % SFI. That makes sense if it worked out OK, but would require DEFRA to ensure the more productive farms had sufficient prices available to them so they didn't use much SFI.

Defra's incompetence in not having any means whatsoever to limit/ control levels of claims to manage their budget was always going to cause farmers to suffer from clawbacks, inequalities and uncertainties.
They should have always started the transition by limiting each SFI claimant to a claim similar to their BPS.
They have many years to then tweak and change the scheme accordingly.

But that doesn't seem to be the NFU's reasoning for lobbying for a cap.

 

[Muddyroads]

As a tenant I’m pleased to see a cap. Despite the Rock Report stating that payment schemes shouldn’t incentivise landlords to take land away from tenants, that was exactly the risk that whole farm schemes carried.

 

[fieldfarmer]

My question to the NFU, ( if I hadn't cancelled my membership last year in protest), would be ,did they petition their farming membership for a insite or just decided only themselves ,the boards opinions counted and they new best?

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

My question to the NFU, ( if I hadn't cancelled my membership last year in protest), would be ,did they petition their farming membership for a insite or just decided only themselves ,the boards opinions counted and they new best?

I'm sure they consulted their most important (corporate) members, the ones who like farmers spending a lot of money and over supplying the commodity markets. That's who this has come from, not farmers.

 

[Henarar]

Why do the NFU want to limit how much a farmer, maybe even one of it's members, from putting as much of their farm as they want, into SFI?

there not

 

[Henarar]

NFU shouldn't suggest a cap

Did they suggest it ?

 

[Henarar]

NFU claim credit for arrival of spring'

If they do it today they need a slap bloody weather

 

[Grass And Grain]

Did they suggest it ?

I don't know. I haven't seen that they suggested a cap??? Just said they think the cap imposed by DEFRA was a good idea as it effectively prevents reduced food production.

I can't see why NFU should be bothered if food production reduces. Surely you'd be bothered about the best economic land use for your members. For many that might well be 100% non-cropped SFI

 

[Henarar]

For many that might well be 100% non-cropped SFI

would they be farmers ? its meant to be a farmers union
if all you produce is something to look at are you a farmer or park keeper ?

 

[texelburger]

Frankly, I'm more concerned about their reverse ferret on GFC, claiming to have got that stopped.

Have they ? Surely they can't claim that ,Tom Bradshaw was on the RT board meeting that approved GFC unanimously.

 

[texelburger]

My question to the NFU, ( if I hadn't cancelled my membership last year in protest), would be ,did they petition their farming membership for a insite or just decided only themselves ,the boards opinions counted and they new best?

I wondered if they had canvassed their members too,think they may be a little disingenuous with this claim.
I stand to be corrected though.

 

[Case290]

It’s a comedy road show. How have they still got any members.. what did they say about AHDB putting the cattle levi up 20% was that their idea as well .

 

[Huno]

Or reduce supply, greatly increase imports ... which do not have the same checks & balances that UK production has.
Which then puts the UK at the mercy of exporting countries

Let's be honest. It was a clusterf*** by Defra from the off.

Thats putting it very politely! Have a nice early Easter break... They are!!

 

[Huno]

It should be, imo.

Its not worth doing legume fallow without full BPS... it just doesnt stack up... grow some Avacardo's or similar??

 

[neilo]

Can't wait for the next headline.
'NFU claim credit for arrival of spring'
If only they'd decided to do something about it a month ago.

I suspect the TFF take on it would more likely be ‘NFU responsible for a cold, wet Spring’. If it’s not their fault then it must be RT to blame, or those pesky clingons at AHDB.