Red tractor and Competition and Markets Authority

[Farmer Ed]

I know we're all very very tired of this issue but after another sleepless night from reading about Rt's expansion in to health and safety, I really feel that it should be possible to be a farmer and not be harassed by this organisation who seem to operate like the Mafia Ie. If you don't pay your protection money you aren't able to trade now I'm not saying that they're going to firebomb your Italian restaurant for non payment but the financial effect of not being able to trade is there all the same.

My point is this; do RT's practices fall foul of the Competition and Markets Authority as there appears to be no widespread access to market for UK agricultural goods that aren't RT approved.

 

[Drillman]

Yes they should be reported.

A private company limiting access to markets with no real alternative.

About as bad as it gets really

 

[Jackov Altraids]

It should be simple to prove given their propensity to measure success by market share rather than by anything else, such as the level of premium{ } returned to members.

 

[Farmer Ed]

 

[Farmer Ed]

Think the CMA might be a good point of contact for some of the letters doing the rounds in other posts

 

[spin cycle]

IIRC i'm afraid it's been tried and they've not been interested on the grounds of ' of not sufficient public interest'......i'll happily be told i'm wrong

 

[7610 super q]

Thing is, do we want RT to have competition ? Imagine 3 or 4 farm assurance companies out competing each other to bring in as many new rules as possible ?
Farm assurance needs to be binned full stop. We can then compete on a level playing field with imports.

 

[bobk]

Makes you wonder who's running this sh!t show , supermarkets aren't particularly interested , so what's the point .

 

[tullah]

Makes you wonder who's running this sh!t show , supermarkets aren't particularly interested , so what's the point .

Nobody's interested except the directors and owners of RT.
Do the NFU part own RT? If so then that explains it.

 

[Flat 10]

IIRC i'm afraid it's been tried and they've not been interested on the grounds of ' of not sufficient public interest'......i'll happily be told i'm wrong

They are “aware” and “looking into it” . A few of us contacted them some time ago but weight of numbers helps.

 

[Flat 10]

PS My spies tell me that it is being taken seriously

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Am I missing something but isn't being Farm Assured optional?
Therefore it would be very difficult to bring any action against RT for being anti competitive.

The wish list for RT is of course to have everyone signed up but with the ever increasing ramping up of the regulations then the opposite will happen.

 

[gone up the hill]

Nobody's interested except the directors and owners of RT.
Do the NFU part own RT? If so then that explains it.

NFU co-own the RT company and sit on the board!

Thou if you ask them if they own/sit on the board they lie and say they do not!!

Which basically say's it all and that is the NFU is actively working under Minette Batters to drive UK farmers out of the industry!

If the founding farmers of the NFU knew what sort of cartel/ the way the top bods are now running the NFU and are actively trying to destroy UK faming business i am very sure they would be turning in their graves!

@An Gof

 

[gone up the hill]

Am I missing something but isn't being Farm Assured optional?
Therefore it would be very difficult to bring any action against RT for being anti competitive.

The wish list for RT is of course to have everyone signed up but with the ever increasing ramping up of the regulations then the opposite will happen.

No it is not optional if you want to sell finished stock/ milk etc!

 

[Tarw Coch]

No it is not optional if you want to sell finished stock/ milk etc!

From my last RT dairy inspection, it says in there something to the effect that it’s a requirement of RT dairy to be a member of RT beef, and you won’t get a milk contract without being RT dairy

 

[Flat 10]

Am I missing something but isn't being Farm Assured optional?
Therefore it would be very difficult to bring any action against RT for being anti competitive.

The wish list for RT is of course to have everyone signed up but with the ever increasing ramping up of the regulations then the opposite will happen.

For sheep farmers maybe. For a full time arable farmer you have no choice. That’s why people are angry.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

View attachment 976174
From my last RT dairy inspection, it says in there something to the effect that it’s a requirement of RT dairy to be a member of RT beef, and you won’t get a milk contract without being RT dairy View attachment 976174

That is indeed anti competitive.
Certainly many sheep farmers and suckler beef are not RT and don't have to be.

The grain side is also a con trick now, but of course you could sell to all non assured livestock farms!!!

What about Pigs? I guess all the mega units are FA and can only use FA grain. I don't know any small pig keepers who are FA though.

 

[spin cycle]

Am I missing something but isn't being Farm Assured optional?
Therefore it would be very difficult to bring any action against RT for being anti competitive.

The wish list for RT is of course to have everyone signed up but with the ever increasing ramping up of the regulations then the opposite will happen.

i think the arguement is that the trade thru rt are manipulating the market by having different standards for home produced to imported thus putting home producers at a disadvantage....i'm a bit out of the loop now but it's a strong arguement IMO

 

[Drillman]

That is indeed anti competitive.
Certainly many sheep farmers and suckler beef are not RT and don't have to be.

The grain side is also a con trick now, but of course you could sell to all non assured livestock farms!!!

What about Pigs? I guess all the mega units are FA and can only use FA grain. I don't know any small pig keepers who are FA though.

Beef job we will probably bin rt as there’s nothing to be gained and livestock markets that we use tell me there’s no price diffefence.

The only persons losing out there as far as I can see is rt and there failing business model.

 

[Feldspar]

Am I missing something but isn't being Farm Assured optional?
Therefore it would be very difficult to bring any action against RT for being anti competitive.

The wish list for RT is of course to have everyone signed up but with the ever increasing ramping up of the regulations then the opposite will happen.

In a way it isn't optional if the non-assured market is depressed unfairly by RT. You can't sell non-assured grain and be a Red Tractor member. Took some legal advice on this and they thought this should not be allowed.