Red Tractor rotten turkeys

[B R C]

Why ? RT is an on farm accreditation. This is a fault of the food chain, it is nothing to do with whether the turkeys are RT or not.
For sure, we can and should blame RT for being in bed with the cartel, but that's a separate issue.

It was tongue in cheek in case you hadn’t realised…

 

[Boohoo]

Never mind RT, what sort of person buys a turkey crown?

 

[tullah]

To be fair, the folder of annoying paperwork got me out of an >£30k nut contamination claim by a customer who tried to push their own failings back down the line.

It does work in our favour, but the incessant creep of new standards is not proportional to any benefit.

The best thing that happens here is the turkey is fully traceable and squeaky clean right through leaving the farm and slaughter and the large multiples supply chain which then takes over is shown for what it is.

The turkeys parents shoukd be recorded as for cattle if it's going to be RT and traceable.
Failing that simple requirement should be instant RT fail.
Just glad the rest of us put our time to better use into producing quality food instead of this futile RT rubbish.

 

[melted welly]

The turkeys parents shoukd be recorded as for cattle if it's going to be RT and traceable.
Failing that simple requirement should be instant RT fail.
Just glad the rest of us put our time to better use into producing quality food instead of this futile RT rubbish.

Not sure what your point is.

Im no fan of the RT organisation, but my experience of how my folder of paperwork helped me is what it is.

 

[willie waver]

it'll be fine when its cooked, i regularly buy the discounted stuff with the plastic puffed up, and i havent died yet

 

[Anymulewilldo]

All that happens is that they give the ones who can be ar$ed to go back and complain, their money back and it's all forgotten about

And hopefully that customer comes too their local friendly farmer selling farm fresh turkeys for a bit more money but a damn sight fresher the next year!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Never mind RT, what sort of person buys a turkey crown?

Bloke came for his Turkey this year , £76. “Can I have the crown please?” Yes no problem. Took it back into the prep room and took the crown off and vaccy packed it. “How much is that?” £80. “But I only want the crown!” Oh so you think I want the rest of the bird now you’ve had the best bit?! I explained the maths too him, cut the legs and wings off the frame and packed them for him. He went off smiling and sent me a text this morning saying how nice the Turkey was. some people

 

[Boohoo]

Bloke came for his Turkey this year , £76. “Can I have the crown please?” Yes no problem. Took it back into the prep room and took the crown off and vaccy packed it. “How much is that?” £80. “But I only want the crown!” Oh so you think I want the rest of the bird now you’ve had the best bit?! I explained the maths too him, cut the legs and wings off the frame and packed them for him. He went off smiling and sent me a text this morning saying how nice the Turkey was. some people

Customer is always right...
Only time I have dry, tasteless turkey is when it comes from a crown.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Customer is always right...
Only time I have dry, tasteless turkey is when it comes from a crown.

Customer is always right… up until the point they want a discount…

 

[britt]

And hopefully that customer comes too their local friendly farmer selling farm fresh turkeys for a bit more money but a damn sight fresher the next year!

But the supermarkets even managed to steel some of that trade from us this year !
What we heard from Christmas tree customers that we tried to sell a turkey to was "Oh, we bought a frozen one because we heard on the news that there was going to be a turkey shortage".
It may have been the press that put it out, but it was the supermarkets and their suppliers whining about a lack of cheep imported labour behind it.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

But the supermarkets even managed to steel some of that trade from us this year !
What we heard from Christmas tree customers that we tried to sell a turkey to was "Oh, we bought a frozen one because we heard on the news that there was going to be a turkey shortage".
It may have been the press that put it out, but it was the supermarkets and their suppliers whining about a lack of cheep imported labour behind it.

Yep. Too make it worse it was a member of my family who did that too us!! If they’d asked me I’d have told them it’s all a load of crap!

 

[Hindsight]

Non frozen Turkeys half price in Morrisons Xmas Eve.

 

[delilah]

It was tongue in cheek in case you hadn’t realised…

apologies, missed that, got a bit of a Christmas head on me...

 

[DrWazzock]

In my case, if it weren’t for the RT folder, I wouldn’t of had the physical documents in order and to hand to give to the loss adjuster who was assigned the case.

Now that folder makes no difference to what we do, but I’ve come to think of it as a translation device to convert our farm practices into a form understandable to the office bound box tickers who have never seen a farm and now proliferate the chain we supply.

Had it not been for the written HACCPs, risk assessments, water policies, field assessments etc, it would be all too easy for me to be painted as a clueless bumpkin, whatever I did in practice.

From that point of view I hope RT does a job for the producers here. They need to.

My views on the burgeoning organisation itself, their means of growing the business and the dirty incestuous relationships of the high offices are for another thread.

Well yes and no. In my case my grain store has been passed by RT for years which was kind of them in some ways but I knew it just wasn’t really fit for purpose despite our best efforts with it. So I now use central storage. If there had been an issue with my grain, a mouse in it or whatever, then if the FSA had come looking at my store I couldn’t really have defended it so in that respect RT had done me no favours. They hadn’t been honest with me about my grain store. I think they provide many producers with a false sense of security or a sort of comfort blanket which will be found sadly lacking in the event of a proper investigation. A mouse in the store is a mouse in the store no matter how much paperwork you have. Make sure things are correct to your own satisfaction, never mind RT.

 

[DrWazzock]

Anyway. Off to clean some water troughs out. Is it on list? No. It’s just stuff you notice as you go about the job.
Yes I suppose we need a certain amount of RT type guff in this modern world but it’s become tiresome and petulant for not a very clear benefit. Could be better.

 

[melted welly]

Well yes and no. In my case my grain store has been passed by RT for years which was kind of them in some ways but I knew it just wasn’t really fit for purpose despite our best efforts with it. So I now use central storage. If there had been an issue with my grain, a mouse in it or whatever, then if the FSA had come looking at my store I couldn’t really have defended it so in that respect RT had done me no favours. They hadn’t been honest with me about my grain store. I think they provide many producers with a false sense of security or a sort of comfort blanket which will be found sadly lacking in the event of a proper investigation. A mouse in the store is a mouse in the store no matter how much paperwork you have. Make sure things are correct to your own satisfaction, never mind RT.

Agreed.

I’d forgotten England is RT on grain as well, my experience with RT is fresh produce only. SQC for grain.

 

[Netherfield]

Bloke came for his Turkey this year , £76. “Can I have the crown please?” Yes no problem. Took it back into the prep room and took the crown off and vaccy packed it. “How much is that?” £80. “But I only want the crown!” Oh so you think I want the rest of the bird now you’ve had the best bit?! I explained the maths too him, cut the legs and wings off the frame and packed them for him. He went off smiling and sent me a text this morning saying how nice the Turkey was. some people

Just the same as I used to do then, very limited market for just the legs. Once tried making Turkey sausages, didn't do very well sales wise.

Always sent the giblets along with the crown and left the wings on.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Just the same as I used to do then, very limited market for just the legs. Once tried making Turkey sausages, didn't do very well sales wise.

Always sent the giblets along with the crown and left the wings on.

I found there is pretty much no market I got very very bored of Turkey soup one year. Then we started sending legs and wings with the crown. Solved the problem, what they do with them isn’t my problem!

 

[Bongodog]

Non frozen Turkeys half price in Morrisons Xmas Eve.

Will the supplier get a debit note in the post to cover Morrisons losses ?

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Oh dear Red Tractor now look where your precious brand is. All over the media for the wrong reasons.

again...