NFU silent on the bird licence ?

[Happy]

And at the same time as this was approved a report is released on bbc about falling curlew numbers because of modern farming practices

What hope does any ground nesting bird have with exploding crow, magpie and buzzard populations.

About as much hope as UK Ag production with Goldsmith and Juniper in charge of policy.

 

[B'o'B]

Sorrr but thats exactly the attitude that’s why the NFU are loosing the social media battles so badly

Stiff upper lip chaps, pretend it’s not happening, sweep it all under the carpet, close eyes and hope it will all go away

Surely no one will listen to a vegan or that uneducated fool Packham will they ! Everyone will see how we really need crop protection products (or pesticides as the NFU coms team keep calling them !!!) surely ? No one will believe that glyphosate gives you cancer could they ?

..... .... really seems to be working well for them doesn’t it !

Perception, mattersr more than the truth these days (I’m afraid). It’s a dirty game but one that someone has to start playing on our behalf

Perceptions does matter more that truth. But if the NFU are shown to be not telling the truth then the perception of them and our industry suffers a great deal more than if Packham is shown not to be telling the truth.

While your tweet may get lots of retweets tonight as everyone is hot under the collar about this, I bet if you had done the same last week you wouldn’t have got ¼ of the retweets. I can see why the NFU has chosen to hang fire in this at the moment.

 

[snarling bee]

Clive. I didn't realise you were a freeloader. Benefitting from what the NFU does but not paying your share. My opinion of you has plummeted. If those that weren't members paid up then there would be more money in the pot to fight more arguments. If you got involved you could see what they do do and you could help it along. You might not agree with all that they do or don't do, but who else is fighting the cause of farming in the UK.

 

[Tarw Coch]

The only thing the communications teams at the NFU do is read TFF and threaten anyone who suggests they aren't doing their job properly with legal action. And yes, I do have the emails to back that up.
I really don't like having a pop at the NFU, indeed I have my own reasons why I would very much like to say how good they are at representing the industry, but the fact is they are completely at sea in the new world of public engagement.

How would the NFU comms team get hold of TFF members e mail addresses?

 

[Clive]

How would the NFU comms team get hold of TFF members e mail addresses?

They can’t, no one can

But it’s often not hard for other farmer members to guess who various other TFF members are from what they post

 

[NLF]

Today I do yes - twitter stats will I’m sure back that up, many, many times over



How wrong is that ? I’m a farmer with a few thousand followers, who had didn’t today farming and running other business mostly with a spare few moments to make a couple of tweets. The NFU is a well funded professional organisation with a full time comes team ,,, ... Who seem to have all taken the day off today !

What do I propose ? I though that was clear ? I propose they put proper resources and capable people into managing social media and influencing and changing attitudes to get the public on side and behind the uk farmers they claim to represent

They are shockingly negligent in this area, minority’s groups are running rings around them and it’s a Very important thing to be bloody good at these days like it or not

"Proper resource"! Where do those come from? People who pay their subs. i.e. Not you! I bet you aren't even a member of the CLA. Stop being such a cheapskate. Stop whinging. Pay your share!

"1000s of twitter followers..." big deal, some of my children's school friend have more than that.

 

[Clive]

Clive. I didn't realise you were a freeloader. Benefitting from what the NFU does but not paying your share. My opinion of you has plummeted. If those that weren't members paid up then there would be more money in the pot to fight more arguments. If you got involved you could see what they do do and you could help it along. You might not agree with all that they do or don't do, but who else is fighting the cause of farming in the UK.

I don’t believe I do benefit ! Or anyone else really for that matter - I’m not daft enough to pay for anything I see no value in

To be a “freeloader” I would have to be getting something for free ? What exactly am I getting ? Other than a big bill for ted tractor they created for me that is

I was a paid up member for decades and my father a ex county chair, he supports our decision to leave , it was not a decision taken lightly or about the money, it was a matter of principle to no longer support an organisation we no longer felt confident represented our business

We resigned 3 or 4 years ago and use the money to pay for the red tractor scheme imposed upon us that’s added no value just cost and red tape to my business

As it’s not democratic I had no other “vote” available to me other than my money

The day I feel they do something of value for me I will rejoin and gladly give them my money - I sincerely hope that day comes, we really need effective representation more than ever theses days


......and one thing the NFU is not short of is money Btw - check out accounts and reserves and ask them some awkward questions about why it wasn’t used in the F&M crisis or forage aid etc

 

[Clive]

"Proper resource"! Where do those come from? People who pay their subs. i.e. Not you! I bet you aren't even a member of the CLA. Stop being such a cheapskate. Stop whinging. Pay your share!

"1000s of twitter followers..." big deal, some of my children's school friend have more than that.

Why would anyone pay for something that doesn’t provide value ? In the absence of any other vote my choice to leave is the only way I can express my dissatisfaction

They are not short of money - quite the opposite

 

[Auckland Blue]

Shows how totally out of touch I am as I hadn't realised that the general licence was being revoked. Only found out earlier this evening.

Total madness. What ever is the world coming to. Particularly galling as the pigeons and crows are decimating spring beans and peas on our farm at the moment. It seems like a small minority are hell bent on preventing UK farmers producing food for the nation. I really don't get what's going on in the world at the moment. Rant over I am going to bed!

 

[Tarw Coch]

Shows how totally out of touch I am as I hadn't realised that the general licence was being revoked. Only found out earlier this evening.

Total madness. What ever is the world coming to. Particularly galling as the pigeons and crows are decimating spring beans and peas on our farm at the moment. It seems like a small minority are hell bent on preventing UK farmers producing food for the nation. I really don't get what's going on in the world at the moment. Rant over I am going to bed!

Delete post, forget you ever heard anything, carry on as normal until someone informs you.

 

[neilo]

And at the same time as this was approved a report is released on bbc about falling curlew numbers because of modern farming practices

What hope does any ground nesting bird have with exploding crow, magpie and buzzard populations.

About as much hope as UK Ag production with Goldsmith and Juniper in charge of policy.

I was alerted to this fact by the local RSPB monitor on Saturday, who visits monthly to count bird numbers (individuals & species flourishing apparently, despite ‘intensive’ farming).
When I pointed out the fact that i’d counted 18 buzzards and 8 kites whilst I was drilling one field last summer, and that that number of raptors would have a fair appetite, she told me that they live mostly on carrion and eat a lot of worms too. I did say that I don’t tend to leave much carrion about here, so I somehow doubt that number could survive on that.
She wouldn’t have it though, Chwis said.....

 

[Auckland Blue]

Sorry back again. Will this affect BPS payments if they catch someone on your land controlling pigeons crows ect? Seem to remember something about GL in cross compliance. Hope I am wrong.

 

[delilah]

How would the NFU comms team get hold of TFF members e mail addresses?

because I was naive enough, on the same day that I posted a suggestion as to action the NFU should be taking to counter Veganuary, to also email our regional office on the same issue. Silly me thought that NFU communications would be more interested in taking on board the suggestions that people had bothered to sit down and contribute, rather than threatening such people.

 

[snarling bee]

I don’t believe I do benefit ! Or anyone else really for that matter - I’m not daft enough to pay for anything I see no value in

To be a “freeloader” I would have to be getting something for free ? What exactly am I getting ? Other than a big bill for ted tractor they created for me that is

I was a paid up member for decades and my father a ex county chair, he supports our decision to leave , it was not a decision taken lightly or about the money, it was a matter of principle to no longer support an organisation we no longer felt confident represented our business

We resigned 3 or 4 years ago and use the money to pay for the red tractor scheme imposed upon us that’s added no value just cost and red tape to my business

As it’s not democratic I had no other “vote” available to me other than my money

The day I feel they do something of value for me I will rejoin and gladly give them my money - I sincerely hope that day comes, we really need effective representation more than ever theses days


......and one thing the NFU is not short of is money Btw - check out accounts and reserves and ask them some awkward questions about why it wasn’t used in the F&M crisis or forage aid etc

Well who else is representing UK farming in Westminster and Europe? You may not agree with some of what they do, but I'm sure 90% of their policies and 'wins' you would agree with.
Who else holds the RPA to account for late payments and mal administration? Who else sits around the table and gives farming's point of view against the likes of Chris Packham and the RSPB? Several months ago the NFU strongly challenged the BBC regarding Chris Packham and other 'experts'. If nobody was holding our bat we would be even more stuffed than we are now. Red Diesel, Badgers/TB, transport weights, the list goes on. Helping members on an individual basis, BPS queries, Vehicle and other discounts, infrastructure issues (where incidentally the CLA seem to be absent).
Are you seriously suggesting that the NFU should spend its reserves on forage aid? I am sure they threw a huge amount of resources at F&M.
Its like me selling a few acres every time I make a loss and but still want that expensive holiday or tractor.
Red tractor was brought in as there was a real fear that there would be a raft of 'protocols' imposed on us by the supermarkets, as there is with higher value produce now. So you can either be proactive and do something or take whatever comes on the chin. Unfortunately it is only now that Red Tractor is upping the anti when it comes to promoting it to the consumer. A majority of consumers think that New Zealand has higher standards of food production than we do. There is a long battle ahead!
You don't have to be assured Clive, but you appear on this forum and on your website to be the kind of business that is doing everything that they ask anyway. Is your grain storage business assured? If you were contract farming my business I would expect only the best, and that would include being assured and a member of the NFU.

 

[An Gof]

because I was naive enough, on the same day that I posted a suggestion as to action the NFU should be taking to counter Veganuary, to also email our regional office on the same issue. Silly me thought that NFU communications would be more interested in taking on board the suggestions that people had bothered to sit down and contribute, rather than threatening such people.

Are you not on “good terms” with your regional office?
Must admit I’m shocked at the response you claim to have had

 

[delilah]

Are you not on “good terms” with your regional office?
Must admit I’m shocked at the response you claim to have had

don't really have any involvement to be on good terms or otherwise. The point is that it is the worst sort of stance to take - that of treating input as being a threat rather than something positive - it's like politicians who forget the minute they are elected that it is absolutely central to the job description to accept and embrace all input.

 

[homefarm]

Clive. I didn't realise you were a freeloader. Benefitting from what the NFU does but not paying your share. My opinion of you has plummeted. If those that weren't members paid up then there would be more money in the pot to fight more arguments. If you got involved you could see what they do do and you could help it along. You might not agree with all that they do or don't do, but who else is fighting the cause of farming in the UK.

This accusation of freeloading by non members really gets to me.

I do not think I benefit from what the NFU does without paying, as I wish it did most things very differently.
Some of the thing they claim to have influenced would have happened anyway.

Just like the Labour/Conservative parties MP's who have resigned, I cannot be a member of an organisation I have strong disagreements with on how it is run.

 

[willy]

The NFU's main way of dealing with issuing is by lobbying ministers. I feel this approach is no longer effective. 2 main reasons being that ministers who are in Ag related posts are so distant to AG that they already have Thier own agenda (Michael Gove a prime example) so you can try all you want to educate them our way, they will be very hard to change.

Also politics changes far more rapidly and so all this lobbying of one Minister can be wasted time very quickly ( I know Gove has been here for 2 years).

Also the top team at the NFU have been there for quite a while Not presidents et Al but the core and I wonder if this is not such a good thing judging by how badly government departments seem to view our sector. RPA hls payments a prime example along with disicions on key crop protection products and many other day to day affecting issues.

 

[TheTallGuy]

The NFU should have issued press releases/bulletins to firstly advise farmers of the situation & what to do about it, secondly to give the general public the reasons why farmers require the general license so that they can lobby their own MPs.

 

[ajd132]

Don’t worry Guy has done another tv piece about how dry his farm is.