Why was it started? Did we create this mess for ourselves? I imagine good intentions to start with but it seems to be going out of control now.
Red tractor out of control
- Thread starter ajd132
- Start date
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Grain merchants have intake sampling for one good reason. That's to ensure they don't buy unfit grain. That's all that's needed. The rest is a waste of time and money. How we get that grain in a clean and fit state to the intake is our lookout.
Most of ours goes straight off the field into a tascc central store
I can’t remember which Act brought it in but food sellers need to show the products they sell meet the legal standards and that this has been checked. RT was set up as a way of doing this under one umbrella, rather than every buyer having a different scheme. I don’t personally really have any problem with the concept or the early implementation of RT. The mission creep is annoying and I do feel that on the arable side they have ran out of places to go quite a few years ago, but that hasn’t stopped them going further! (I only sat on the arable side because it must be 15 years since I had anything to do with RT and livestock so can’t really comment on that)
- Location
- Cheshire
Not an arable man so I can't comment on that side. But I've weighed up going RT quite a few times over the years for beef & lamb. I just can't see the financial incentive to pay to be inspected. Yes, last year a major processor was offering lots more on the deadweight than you could get in the live, and you have to be RT for it. But on principal I wouldn't sell to them anyway because they are just trying to close the markets and have control on the marketplace. I have friends who have immaculate farms and the RT give them a rough ride on a regular basis (pretty sure this is a case of job justification) and I know a few whose farms are dumps but know the right inspector and get RT straight through no messing. It's a total farce. If I feed my stock properly and breed them right I don't need the RT assured buyers to make my living. When lambs were mad dear a couple of years ago, the RT assured buyer was buying my on spec mule weathers every week and booking them on no.2. ? I wonder what happened to them??
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I am all for high standards. I noticed a leaking roof sheet during the winter when the store was empty. I replaced. No paperwork needed. No box ticking, no inspection. It really is that easy. Then the grain isn't wet or mouldy and it isn't rejected. The rep drops in occasionally as well. He'd soon say if there was somthing he didn't like as well as it being nice to put a face to the voice on the phone. We can manage you know. We can get it right without somebody prescribing and monitoring and breathing down our necks. Less of that means more time to fix real problems.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Same with livestock. In the ring you can see what's been happy and content and what's done well. It's self evident and has been for years. Abbatoirs have meat inspectors, ramblers pass through farms. Society works well like that. We don't need Orwellian style monitoring that doesn't actually work and could be got around by those who are so minded anyway.
Those 7 pieces of silver are not looking so bright and shiny now to those that rushed out to sign up.
I am not sure what you all expect ? all these bureaucratic things just get worse and worse till they end up a monster with a life of their own , remember next time something like this comes up THIN END OF THE WEDGE
And all down to the NFU cos if what their 3rd in command said is true they can more or less tell RT what to do
If I was pretending to be an "active farmer" I think RT membership would be a very useful piece of paper to have when trying to prove this status.
As above they should all be members and you should be paid for any extra work involved.
Should be an easy sell considering the tax savings.
As above they should all be members and you should be paid for any extra work involved.
Should be an easy sell considering the tax savings.
I do get this completely.
new topic about the validity of contract farming agreements into the future?!
Just out of interest, as I can’t remember if you have stated it before, are you/the business NFU members?
Yes we are
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If your contract farms have no machinery, crop storage or chemical stores, what do RT inspect there? Surely everything is on your home farm, the same as if you were only farming that.
Not involved in crop assurance schemes, but do they inspect the fields where the crop is grown?
- Location
- Herefordshire uk
I usually just lurk in the background and read everybody else’s comments. But feel compounded to share my views.
I just don’t see the point in RT when u have duplicate schemes doing the exact same.
I’m a manager on a broiler unit I have had 3 different audits in 4 months now I’m not inefficient everything is up together paperwork is completed and filed away in a timely manner etc maintenance is kept on top of the houses although old are in good shape so don’t have much of a problem passing tbh.
Last year 2018 RT I had 2 minor non conformances nothing major just paperwork not ticked etc. This year I had a INTEGRA inspection on behalf of Tesco’s where some of our meat ends up they rightly looked at the welfare side and birds etc more than the paperwork again a pass nothing major to worry about. 2 months later I had my annual RT and passed with flying colours not even a minor n/c.
1 month later I had my processors audit I had a A4 size sheet of minor non conformances things that both RT and INTEGRA looked at and passed now what pisses me off is we are contracted to the processor we have to buy feed and chicks off them etc so in effect they should be on our side and if INTEGRA the ultimate costumer was happy why do they have to stick there nose in ?
Which brings me to the next point why do we have to have more than one audit surely we should either embrace RT and make it the industry standard and tell the end customers where they can go with there schemes or we get rid of RT and just have the customers audits only, let your supermarket customer etc tell u how they want you to farm your crops livestock etc. And go to there standard and be done with just the one inspection a year unless there is cause for concern obviously.
I fear it’s here to stay regardless but it does need a shake up I mean the law is the ultimate audit anyway if u fail that then rightly so u will end up in court.
Tin hat on and into hiding [emoji23]
I just don’t see the point in RT when u have duplicate schemes doing the exact same.
I’m a manager on a broiler unit I have had 3 different audits in 4 months now I’m not inefficient everything is up together paperwork is completed and filed away in a timely manner etc maintenance is kept on top of the houses although old are in good shape so don’t have much of a problem passing tbh.
Last year 2018 RT I had 2 minor non conformances nothing major just paperwork not ticked etc. This year I had a INTEGRA inspection on behalf of Tesco’s where some of our meat ends up they rightly looked at the welfare side and birds etc more than the paperwork again a pass nothing major to worry about. 2 months later I had my annual RT and passed with flying colours not even a minor n/c.
1 month later I had my processors audit I had a A4 size sheet of minor non conformances things that both RT and INTEGRA looked at and passed now what pisses me off is we are contracted to the processor we have to buy feed and chicks off them etc so in effect they should be on our side and if INTEGRA the ultimate costumer was happy why do they have to stick there nose in ?
Which brings me to the next point why do we have to have more than one audit surely we should either embrace RT and make it the industry standard and tell the end customers where they can go with there schemes or we get rid of RT and just have the customers audits only, let your supermarket customer etc tell u how they want you to farm your crops livestock etc. And go to there standard and be done with just the one inspection a year unless there is cause for concern obviously.
I fear it’s here to stay regardless but it does need a shake up I mean the law is the ultimate audit anyway if u fail that then rightly so u will end up in court.
Tin hat on and into hiding [emoji23]
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Who is driving what? Farmer pays AHDB levies and now I see they are creating the ammo for the RT inspectors to fire. Lux meters in pig houses to validate light levels
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
i suspect RT need more money...they also need more petty rules to justify their existence....they are actually desperate to avoid any really positive scheme changes like linking to environmental schemes....this because their prime job is to protect factory farming....they use the rest of you as 'cannon fodder/shield'...i say 'you' cos i'm glad to be out of it
Who would have thought
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
When Farm Assurance came in, the selling point was that if we didn’t develop a scheme ourselves, we would end up having audits by every processor & retailer, which would be more onerous than any ‘farmer developed’ scheme.
Roll on 25 years or so, and we now have RT audits in addition to those other inspections.
Tarw Coch
Member
- Location
- Bottom of Wats Dyke
Not in my lifetime I suspect.
