Red Tractor virtual audit - how it went!

[ewald]

Apologies for starting a new thread, but the two ongoing ones are full of people foaming at the mouth at the iniquity of farm assurance - not helpful in my view, as I feel that it is a necessary evil

Audit happened this morning - I am a middle aged technophobe with a cheap smart phone and an adequate 4G service.
It was fairly straightforward - downloaded the app (bluejeans! - silly name), hit the button on the email link and found myself looking at the assessor.
10 minutes wandering around the yard videoing grain stores and the chem store, then into the house for the paperwork - no advance downloading, just used the phone camera so that the assessor could see the records.

As far as I am concerned it is another job ticked off the list at a quiet time - I would do it again.
You do need reasonable internet access, and it helps if your records are organised

 

[7610 super q]

Well presumably a pay as you go type type job won't be any good, as it'll cost eleventy billion pounds ?

 

[ewald]

I used the phones data for 10 minutes - once back in the house it switched to the house wifi, so not too expensive

 

[Boysground]

Mine was just the same no issues really. I was directed to all the usual spots in the barns and had to show the inspector with my phone. One of my spray stores which happens to be close to my office is in a wifi and phone dead spot. I could look in the door with the phone but as soon as I entered the signal went. I was just told to pick up some cans to check the MAPP numbers and all was ok. If I had to do it again I would probably put a web cam on my desktop computer, apparently the Blue Jeans app can then be set to see what you have on the screen. It was a bit of a game being directed which bit to point my phone at.

All passed ok, would be happy to do the same again but hopefully we will be able to it all in person next year.

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[kiwi pom]

Apologies for starting a new thread, but the two ongoing ones are full of people foaming at the mouth at the iniquity of farm assurance - not helpful in my view, as I feel that it is a necessary evil

Audit happened this morning - I am a middle aged technophobe with a cheap smart phone and an adequate 4G service.
It was fairly straightforward - downloaded the app (bluejeans! - silly name), hit the button on the email link and found myself looking at the assessor.
10 minutes wandering around the yard videoing grain stores and the chem store, then into the house for the paperwork - no advance downloading, just used the phone camera so that the assessor could see the records.

As far as I am concerned it is another job ticked off the list at a quiet time - I would do it again.
You do need reasonable internet access, and it helps if your records are organised

So basically a phone call, ten minutes wandering round with a smart phone and having your paperwork in order? That's it for 12 months, you can now sell your produce to anyone you want?

You'll be in trouble now for telling people it was easy.

 

[Boysground]

3 hours for me. Does include a half hour journey between 2 farms. And probably a day spent making sure all the paperwork is in one place and I haven’t missed any rule changes which seems to happen with the vermin control regs every year.

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[Danllan]

Apologies for starting a new thread, but the two ongoing ones are full of people foaming at the mouth at the iniquity of farm assurance - not helpful in my view, as I feel that it is a necessary evil

Audit happened this morning - I am a middle aged technophobe with a cheap smart phone and an adequate 4G service.
It was fairly straightforward - downloaded the app (bluejeans! - silly name), hit the button on the email link and found myself looking at the assessor.
10 minutes wandering around the yard videoing grain stores and the chem store, then into the house for the paperwork - no advance downloading, just used the phone camera so that the assessor could see the records.

As far as I am concerned it is another job ticked off the list at a quiet time - I would do it again.
You do need reasonable internet access, and it helps if your records are organised

Two points come to mind:

1) Clearly if it can be done in that time and remotely, it doesn't count for much;

and, much more importantly...

2) All red tractor does is state the fact you're following the rules (that you have to follow anyway... )


It won't surprise you to know that I've walked away from it, and have no regrets.

 

[matthewizod]

2 and half hours for ours, different auditor this year and went ok. Surprised how easy it was on the app.

Had a few teething issues with the portal with uploading but ended up just reading out details of paper work and showing on camera.

It's was a lot better than we first thought anyway!

 

[curlietailz]

Got our virtual audit tommorrow
Paperwork and photos all uploaded to the portal ..... took about a week on and off gathering, checking, photographing, cropping and compressing photos and uploading
BlueJeans ( unprofessional name) downloaded and tested Think it works okay
Little mobile WiFi gizmo charged up so I have a little mobile WiFi hotspot In case 4G runs out/stops
Extra charger bank charged up in case my phone battery dies
Everything checked and looking ship shape

what could possibly go wrong ?? Ha ha
Will report back tommorrow with update

 

[yellow belly]

had mine to day no problems saved a cup of coffee!!
emailed pictures of buildings before hand

 

[twizzel]

We had ours last week, biggest problem was signal and our WiFi is pretty rubbish too. Passed no problems but we preferred having someone come onto farm to do it.

 

[gone up the hill]

Got our virtual audit tommorrow
Paperwork and photos all uploaded to the portal ..... took about a week on and off gathering, checking, photographing, cropping and compressing photos and uploading
BlueJeans ( unprofessional name) downloaded and tested Think it works okay
Little mobile WiFi gizmo charged up so I have a little mobile WiFi hotspot In case 4G runs out/stops
Extra charger bank charged up in case my phone battery dies
Everything checked and looking ship shape

what could possibly go wrong ?? Ha ha
Will report back tommorrow with update

What a lot of hassle for nothing!

They will either do my audit on farm or I will be out of the scheme, im not wasting my time with any of the above nonsense just to keep them in a job!

 

[Handy Andy]

What a lot of hassle for nothing!

They will either do my audit on farm or I will be out of the scheme, im not wasting my time with any of the above nonsense just to keep them in a job!

I agree. If the government can suspend MOT tests for six months, which will almost certainly end up costing lives, given the amount of annual tests carried out which are failed by vehicles in a dangerous, close to lethal state, then why can't Red Tractor could do the same. Suspend testing for six months and do it properly when testing is safe for them to resume.

 

[yellow belly]

I agree. If the government can suspend MOT tests for six months, which will almost certainly end up costing lives, given the amount of annual tests carried out which are failed by vehicles in a dangerous, close to lethal state, then why can't Red Tractor could do the same. Suspend testing for six months and do it properly when testing is safe for them to resume.

Many people still getting their mots done
one independent car fitter I know has been flat out doing most and repairs since he was made redundant at the start of the lockdown

 

[Handy Andy]

Two points come to mind:

1) Clearly if it can be done in that time and remotely, it doesn't count for much;

and, much more importantly...

2) All red tractor does is state the fact you're following the rules (that you have to follow anyway... )


It won't surprise you to know that I've walked away from it, and have no regrets.

Just out of curiosity, how has leaving it affected your business with regards to prices etc?

 

[Handy Andy]

Many people still getting their mots done
one independent car fitter I know has been flat out doing most and repairs since he was made redundant at the start of the lockdown

It's very commendable that people are still getting MOT's done, but the point I am making is that if Gov can do it with MOT's then It wouldn't hurt Red Tractor to suspend farm inspections for six months. How can it possibly be done properly when done virtually?

 

[Clive]

So basically a phone call, ten minutes wandering round with a smart phone and having your paperwork in order? That's it for 12 months, you can now sell your produce to anyone you want?

You'll be in trouble now for telling people it was easy.

it's not exactly assuring much is it !

Is there any point in a scheme that only looks at what its shown ................ you are hardly going to to point the camera at none compliances are you !

Easy maybe but all a bit pointless considering what it costs ?

 

[Yorkshire lad]

Had mine today , did it via Whatsapp it went better than i thought it would and took 2 hours with no loss of conection
We had one non compliance Our moisture meter is out of test.. When i asked how do i to get it calibrated as no one is currently running testing clinics .
The assessor sugested i take it up with SAI when they contact me . I would have thought that allowances should have been made for issues caused by Covid How can they expect people to get equipment tested when they are not willing to visit farms themselves is arrogont IMO

 

[matthewizod]

Had mine today , did it via Whatsapp it went better than i thought it would and took 2 hours with no loss of conection
We had one non compliance Our moisture meter is out of test.. When i asked how do i to get it calibrated as no one is currently running testing clinics .
The assessor sugested i take it up with SAI when they contact me . I would have thought that allowances should have been made for issues caused by Covid How can they expect people to get equipment tested when they are not willing to visit farms themselves is arrogont IMO

Our local dealer sent our meter away to Martin lishman to get tested instead of running their annual clinic at the shop.

 

[DrWazzock]

We have one next week. A virtual one. If ever there was a scheme more concerned about keeping those who run it in a job than actually adding anything to the industry then this malarkey proves it. I don't hold it against my inspector, he is a decent bloke doing an awkward job and trying to earn a crust like the rest of us but the system is somewhat broken and futile really. The good thing about this lockdown is that until now we have been able to get quite a lot of really important stuff done that would otherwise have had to be put off while we deal with all the various needless hangers on and their silly demands and constant interruption.
And lets be honest, nobody gives one about Red Tractor in the shops. They might have a passing interest in it, but that's as far as it goes. I don't look for it. I couldn't care less. I have bigger things going on in my daily life. The problem is those who run this scheme will cling onto it for dear life as a whole empire now depends on it. They have to maintain the illusion of their own great importance.