That's the logical way to go. Beef and lamb could do something similar, if the supermarkets really see a value for RT they could buy non assured at a set price, FA at a higher price and Gold standard higher still. That way we would all have a choice as to what level of assurance to go for based on the premium, (that premium that we were promised but never materialised) and the shopper could demonstrate whether they really are prepared to pay more for assured produce. It won't happen of course as there's no way that the funders would be allowed any benefit and no way that the benefactors will accept having to promote assured meat or face everyone leaving due to no premium.
Red Tractor Fight, Campaign Resources
- Thread starter Grass And Grain
- Start date
- Location
- Cirencester
No to RT light as you call it, as it would still involve a bent organisation, one that cannot be trusted and has zero interest in us the actual farmers except for paying a cheque every year.
- Location
- Yorks
I'll PM you.
- Location
- the brecks norfolk
I agree, it may start off "light" but the screws that run RT would feel compelled to add a little more each year to justify themselves and before we know it RT light will be RT as we know it now and the higher levels will just be rediculous (even more so than now)
tullah
Member
- Location
- Linconshire
We basically only need the same auditing as imports . In other words, I think I'm right that means nothing of any consequence other than what we have to already comply with by law. Even that is superior to imports and therefore qualifies a premium.
Yep, that's totally in tune with current consumer thoughts. "We want food produced without any checks of consequence".
Why haven't you all setup your own scheme yet? The strap line could be "Produced with promises to comply, but no checks!". I'm sure buyers would be queuing up........
Well they aren't screaming the place down about these trade deals so your first sentence is probably right. Hopefully something gets set up, too many parasites making a living from this industry who put nothing back in.
tullah
Member
- Location
- Linconshire
Yet as usual you forgot to mention that the millers are quite happy purchasing imports which are not farm audited and yet classed as assured.
That does seem to be the case. But it seems that they want assured grain from UK. They're your customers. Aldi etc succeed by giving customers what they want. I'm not sure I can think of an example of someone succeeding, who told the customers what they were going to get?
Rt seem to be making plenty by taking our money yet Offering nothing in return.
Oh hang on your right rt isn’t a success there a failing business
They are on the way out not to long to go now.
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- Location
- the brecks norfolk
Instead we have something which takes produce produced to the same standard and then has the paper work, which amounts to nothing and was probably only filed the day before the inspection and we pay a fee for the privilege.
I don't mind standards but I do resent the parasites who invent ever increasing amounts of bullpoo just to justify there draw from us.
Yep there business model is unsustainable in its current form,
Which currently seems to be give us your money so we can dictate more pointless drivel to you.
And if you complain we shall accuse you of being backstabbers
SilliamWhale
Member
I'm one of Red Tractors customers. I pay them. And I'm telling them that as a customer of theirs they are not giving me what I want. I'm not happy with their vice chairman calling me a backstabber and I'm not happy with the lies about RT promising me a premium.
Happy with that?
What you are still forgetting is that RT are offering those customers more RT crap but are with no efforts to realise a premium for that from the farmer. This is the nub of what we are pee'd off about - how about RT take all our bank details so they can pay us back some of the glorious premium they have garnered for us, I've not seen any of it so far
Surely the ultimate sanction from a customer is to withdraw your custom? If you're not happy with them, stop using them?
There's loads of folk on here that clearly hate them with a passion. So just set up, or persuade someone else to setup, an alternative scheme! Your customers (who it seems clearly want assured produce) would have to approve it, but it does seems there's a market. Assuming the post on these threads represent the majority of farmers?
Steevo
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
The latest NFU email headline states "Public overwhelmingly backs protection of British food standards in trade deals".
Red Tractor claim to be "British Farm Standard". So in the UK we expect UK producers to produce to the "British Farm Standard" and be inspected and pay a fee for Red Tractor membership.
Imports that are assured, are not "Red Tractor" assured....yet both "assurances" are seemingly considered to be equal....despite the fact that they are totally different.
I think there is massive confusion between "British Food Standard" and "British Farm Standard" .
As far as I can see there is no such thing as "standard". It's one rule for one, one rule for another.
Red Tractor claim to be "British Farm Standard". So in the UK we expect UK producers to produce to the "British Farm Standard" and be inspected and pay a fee for Red Tractor membership.
Imports that are assured, are not "Red Tractor" assured....yet both "assurances" are seemingly considered to be equal....despite the fact that they are totally different.
I think there is massive confusion between "British Food Standard" and "British Farm Standard" .
- I'm all for high Farm standards which I think we already achieve in the UK compared to some standards abroad.
- I am also all for high Food standards in the UK....that apply to ALL Food sold in the UK. I'd rather not be eating food produced to a low standard, wherever it was produced.
As far as I can see there is no such thing as "standard". It's one rule for one, one rule for another.
tullah
Member
- Location
- Linconshire
And what's more, the buyers such as Tesco know it's rubbish too yet they are hooked into it with the rest of them.
Laughable and more so when you get twerps on here and beyond saying it's gods gift.
SilliamWhale
Member
We are aiming to do that. We want to withdraw our custom, however there are a couple of problems in doing it at the moment which is why we are working our way through it all and of course the very organisations meant to represent farmers are effectively demonstrably impotent and ignorant on this.
At the moment we have a monopolistic corporate racket disguising itself as "assurance" for free to the customer and in effect charging its suppliers for the privilege of supplying that customer. Its classic technocratic middleman stuff which sounds awfully clever but its all built on sand.
I know you can't understand that the optics on this are pretty unsavory, but in the longer term hippocrisy and monopolism tend to end up intensely disliked. The guys on here are just scratching the surface of this.
There is a strong moral case here too which will drive a lot of people's dislike of Red Tractor - we know when we are being lied to and the customer is being deceived. We are all just collating the deceptive elements of it
Well said and put a million times better than I ever could
how about it red tractor? Actually do some work for the farmer for a change?
Go out and get us the premium our world beating standards deserve,
do that and we all be on your side!
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