Red Tractor

[MrNoo]

The more I rear the content of this thread (which I started as a very serious concern) and many others that are out there the more I realise that rt have massively lost there way and let us farmers down very badly,

A terrible shame really as red tractor could have been a great ambassador for uk ag, However they have now become nothing more than a big stick which they use to extract money out of the producer for no quantifiable return.

im also aware rt etc are reading this and would invite them to give me some facts and figures to prove I’m wrong!

But am also sure they won’t because they have no reasonable defence and know we are right.

You missed out "ably assisted and supported/part owned by the NFU" So our very own so say farming union is complicit in this scam. They want to disadvantage UK farmers to imports, which is what is happening currently.

 

[Doc]

If you look on RT Facebook site they are implying that Clarkson is a fan. I wonder if he knows, or indeed is a fan.

 

[Drillman]

You missed out "ably assisted and supported/part owned by the NFU" So our very own so say farming union is complicit in this scam. They want to disadvantage UK farmers to imports, which is what is happening currently.

Ah but the NF claim to have no ownership of rt. Although there seems to be plenty of evidence to suggest that isn’t true

 

[MrNoo]

Ah but the NF claim to have no ownership of rt. Although there seems to be plenty of evidence to suggest that isn’t true

Well, I think we all know the answer to that one. No doubt Guy Smith will be along shortly to allay our concerns or that lovely fellow Blinkers offering us a range of discount "Backstabbers" polo shirts!

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Ah but the NF claim to have no ownership of rt. Although there seems to be plenty of evidence to suggest that isn’t true

The NFU were the founding members and majority stakeholders of RT.
They are either completely complicit with all that has happened or;
They have been utterly negligent in losing that control.

I have yet to receive a clear answer to which it is.

 

[BrianV]

All breeding stock and AI purchases must be from RT assured farms and studs as well.
Believe they claim 96 percent of pigs produced to RT standards so farmers are so in favour of RT!!

No farmers are effectively blackmailed to be in the RT scheme by the supermarkets for their own benefit not the farmers or consumers benefit!!

 

[BrianV]

Ah but the NF claim to have no ownership of rt. Although there seems to be plenty of evidence to suggest that isn’t true

Now been sold to a third party so watch out going forward, firms only buy other firms when there is money to be made!

 

[whatnow]

To add a little more to the gold plating (apologies if already covered), I learnt last week that a new sprayer wouldn’t need an mot until it’s fifth birthday, but RT insists on it having one to celebrate it’s first birthday.
Depending on who does the testing you might be as much as £800-1000 worse off over the five years, even though the sprayer is new and legal!

 

[Tarw Coch]

They never respond to Facebook comments just delete them ( they are not abusive)

Obviously they prefer censorship to public debate

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Obviously they prefer censorship to public debate

Don't delete all of them
Asking valid questions, without resorting to swearing etc.

 

[Barleymow]

Don't delete all of them
Asking valid questions, without resorting to swearing etc.

I don't swear in my comments

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

I don't swear in my comments

I know. Nor did I
Though I could have!!!

 

[texelburger]

Reaonable thought @kiwi pom

Thing is though, these UK mills that require our grain to be RT will also readily purchase grain from Ukraine, Canada, USA, Brazil, etc. and none of that is RT or equivalent. The merchant can buy 1000 lorry loads worth of stickers for £40, then it becomes assured. The shipper has to have done some lab tests on the cargo, but there's no specific list or requirements for these tests, so they could just test moisture and BW if they want to.

TASCC Stickers - Trade Assurance

Going back to your point, in Scotland they have SQC, RT in England (and Wales I think), equivalent schemes in Ireland. Mills accept them all - as being recognised.

Reason feed mills require RT,SQC etc is because AIC say they've got to, and RT livestock schemes say RT farms can only buy feed from AIC approved mills.

Perfect business model for both RT/SQC and AIC, as basically all cereals farmers need to be RT/SQC and all mills need to be AIC UFAS accredited.

The smell gets worse when you start digging. AIC have members of staff on the RT boards. AIC are part owners of SQC. AIC are on technical committees of Scottish Quality Meats. SQM also specify animal feed must come from an AIC UFAS mill.

Now they do say UFAS mill, or equivalent scheme. However, there are no other mill assurance schemes.

And the hauliers can't move the grain or the feed unless they are TASCC approved. That's in the RT/SQC rules, and in the AIC UFAS rules. Have a guess who owns the TASCC scheme? I'll give you a clue, it has the letters A, I and C in the word.

This leads one to ponder if these schemes are in existence to provide assurance, or simply to provide fees for the assurance providers.

AIC have been repeatedly asked if we can 'assure' UK grain by same method as they allow for imported grain. AIC have repeatedly said 'no', or made up hopeless excuses as to why not.

Draw your own conclusions from those facts.

An excellent post.It clearly shows that the whole assurance system stinks and is rotten to the core with AIC,RT et al keeping everything ' in house' .They have it all sewn up,somehow we need some intervention to break up the monopoly.

 

[Drillman]

An excellent post.It clearly shows that the whole assurance system stinks and is rotten to the core with AIC,RT et al keeping everything ' in house' .They have it all sewn up,somehow we need some intervention to break up the monopoly.

yes it’s a massive scam and once it all comes out the people involved will never be Able to get employment again!

 

[willy]

yes it’s a massive scam and once it all comes out the people involved will never be Able to get employment again!

It is out now, so why are we not hearing anything other than on here?

Like people say I want to give it up but financially I can't afford to, unless an alternative is available.

 

[kiwi pom]

It would just be produced to U.K. legal standards nothing more than that

That would be fantastic, hopefully all your buyers would accept it.
The trouble is they all want a point of difference to compete in the market.
I see RT as on borrowed time because it's too general a standard, anyone can get it and as everyone on here says, it doesn't mean anything.
I think more buyer specific rules and hoops will get more common. Things like Arlagarden for Arla suppliers.
I saw this earlier, McCain's 'vision of the future' that will probably require a lot of paperwork.
McCain Foods commits to regenerative agricultural practices for all its potatoes by 2030 | PotatoPro

I wonder where all this will leave smaller farmers wanting to grow for the open market? Will there be an open market?

 

[kiwi pom]

I think you are underestimating how much people dislike hypocrisy and lies. We've just seen a health minister resign not for an affair but the hypocrisy around it. So I think for you to say "I don't think you can do anything about it" is very self defeatist - I wouldn't want you in the trenches!!

I understand quite clearly how much people hate being told what to do, especially when those that do the telling, don't keep the standards themselves.
I've always been an employee though, so I got used to doing what I was told and saying nothing. When you get sick of it you move on.
As for being in the trenches and fighting for farmers, well farmers have to do that themselves but it often seems to be someone else's fault.
@Grass And Grain seems to be getting stuck in and trying to understand it all, maybe even trying to get things changed. Good on him, hope it works.
What are you doing?

 

[Flat 10]

That would be fantastic, hopefully all your buyers would accept it.
The trouble is they all want a point of difference to compete in the market.
I see RT as on borrowed time because it's too general a standard, anyone can get it and as everyone on here says, it doesn't mean anything.
I think more buyer specific rules and hoops will get more common. Things like Arlagarden for Arla suppliers.
I saw this earlier, McCain's 'vision of the future' that will probably require a lot of paperwork.
McCain Foods commits to regenerative agricultural practices for all its potatoes by 2030 | PotatoPro

I wonder where all this will leave smaller farmers wanting to grow for the open market? Will there be an open market?

I get the argument about different buyers wanting different assurance standards, this is clearly relevant in the dairy industry as you say. However we are on about RT in the cereals sector where clearly the majority of buyers do not require assurance as they are happy to buy imported unassured grain.