RPA inspections....reasonable or not ?

[Hfd Cattle]

I have no problem with RPA inspections but how reasonable should it be...
I explain ...
20 mins ago had a phone call " I need to come and do a whole herd tag test on one of your holdings"

I explained that
a, the cattle were alli out on grass keep and not back till end of next week
b, we have just managed to have a bit of summer and we are busy harvesting
c, we are TB testing on the 18th Sept can it not be done then?

No ,we have to do it within 48 hrs he replied .
I've told him I'm not prepared to do it as it's totally inconvenient and I have no spare time atm .
....I did make a concession by saying that he can come round 6am Fri morning and look at passports and the come with me whe I feed then and try and read tags while they are mopping up their feed .
"That is not convenient," I'm told, " I have to drop the children off at school before I come out "

So he has been told ...I'm just NOT doing g it !!!

So....am I unreasonable?
My MP has already been alerted to the problem !

 

[Bald Rick]

They are civil servants paid by the taxpayer ergo you can call the tune …

… although they will likely deduct a percentage of your SFP for ‘non co-operation’

 

[Highland Mule]

You got any stock at home? When I had an inspection they said they needed it started within the time but completion could take a bit longer. We did a field at the house and then they came back later for the big lot when it was convenient.

 

[betweenthelines]

Trouble is that farmers are usually way too helpful.

All manner of people turn up with little or no notice and the average farmer bends over backwards to be helpful.

Anyone from a Council Officer "just passing and noticed a strong smell" (ie here to investigate a complaint from a neighbour) to a whole army of reps who expect you to drop what you are doing and deal with them.

Turn up unannounced at any business these days and you'll be told "You need to book an appointment with our Environmental Manager/ H&S Adviser/Purchasing Director/etc. Why should farms be any different ?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

You got any stock at home? When I had an inspection they said they needed it started within the time but completion could take a bit longer. We did a field at the house and then they came back later for the big lot when it was convenient.

Stock at home are a different herd. He said it had to be started within 48 hrs and then completed within 48hrs .
...Will see what happens

 

[Rnold]

You should have said you are in Spain for a fortnight. See you when I get back.

 

[Highland Mule]

started within 48 hrs and then completed within 48hrs

Would take longer than that to get through site induction, surely. Ask to see his risk assessments and details of his bio security plan. Tell him you will need to revise yours to accommodate him and that can’t be done at the moment.

 

[ollie989898]

Trouble is that farmers are usually way too helpful.

All manner of people turn up with little or no notice and the average farmer bends over backwards to be helpful.

Anyone from a Council Officer "just passing and noticed a strong smell" (ie here to investigate a complaint from a neighbour) to a whole army of reps who expect you to drop what you are doing and deal with them.

Turn up unannounced at any business these days and you'll be told "You need to book an appointment with our Environmental Manager/ H&S Adviser/Purchasing Director/etc. Why should farms be any different ?

No rep would be at all worried if you said you were busy and to come again at another time. I would never turn up unannounced even to regular customers and expect them to spend time with me. If I could see they were busy I would do it by text or ring another day.

 

[Rnold]

Its as bad as Red tractor wanting to do an audit in harvest for cereals and beet.

 

[slackjawedyokel]

You should have said you are in Spain for a fortnight. See you when I get back.

good point. Surely everyone is entitled to an occasional holiday now and again. When I head off I arrange for someone to come in each day and check on the livestock but they wouldn’t have access to all of the farm records etc that the RPA would likely want.
What are they going to do?

 

[db9go]

What are they checking for is it paper work or what

 

[Tubbylew]

Stock at home are a different herd. He said it had to be started within 48 hrs and then completed within 48hrs .
...Will see what happens

Tell him to go and help himself, you've offered to make yourself available, so have been reasonable enough, I found an inspector on the doorstep here once, looking for dad who was at work, she wouldn't take no for an answer so I dealt with it, I don't know if i'd be so helpful now i'm a little wiser, but subsequent inspectors have been more reasonable and let us know they were coming. At the end of the day when the bps form was signed certain rights were signed away, it's ludicrous that they can't check these things at tb tests, but thats the way it is. You could always make a big show of it and turn it into a really big job and make sure he's late home for his tea.

 

[CornishTone]

good point. Surely everyone is entitled to an occasional holiday now and again. When I head off I arrange for someone to come in each day and check on the livestock but they wouldn’t have access to all of the farm records etc that the RPA would likely want.
What are they going to do?

If you're going to tell porky lies, you'll need to be prepared to provide evidence of your lies.

@Hfd Cattle is far better off sticking to his original line, which is not unreasonable. They have requested to see him at a time which is simply not practical. He has offered an alternative time within the 48hrs that is practical and the RPA need to be prepared to adjust accordingly or provide another alternative. The school run is not a sufficient excuse if harvest, cattle away on keep and a Tb test as an alternate cannot be considered a sufficient excuse. If they aren't prepared to meet half way then they can, respectfully, f*ck right off!

 

[Top Tip.]

It’s all to do with ticking boxes, the whole 48 hours thing is nonsense. They have to do a % of them in that time and they are just pressuring you to see if you’ll comply. Last cattle inspection I had the guy phoned and said he was going to be on farm within the hour. I told him he was welcome but there would be nobody there as I was on my way to a sale in the Fort well he did everything to try and get me to turn back but i refused he then wanted my wife to go home from work to give him the paperwork . The inspection was put off until the following week with no consequences to me. It’s all about targets. The guy was perfectly reasonable when it was made clear that he wasn’t getting what he wanted.

 

[B'o'B]

Stock at home are a different herd. He said it had to be started within 48 hrs and then completed within 48hrs .
...Will see what happens

Looks to me like you offered him a time within 48hours and he refused. I would put it in writing to his manager stating that the offer still stands, but that is the only time available to you within the 48hour window and that you are already going considerably out of your way to even manage to do it then, but that you have put in your best effort to work with them.

 

[slackjawedyokel]

If you're going to tell porky lies, you'll need to be prepared to provide evidence of your lies.

@Hfd Cattle is far better off sticking to his original line, which is not unreasonable. They have requested to see him at a time which is simply not practical. He has offered an alternative time within the 48hrs that is practical and the RPA need to be prepared to adjust accordingly or provide another alternative. The school run is not a sufficient excuse if harvest, cattle away on keep and a Tb test as an alternate cannot be considered a sufficient excuse. If they aren't prepared to meet half way then they can, respectfully, f*ck right off!

You’re right. The OP is being reasonable in offering an alternative within the timescale quoted. If the RPA bod finds that UN-reasonable due to their other commitments at that time, it should be up to the RPA to either send someone different at that time or move it to a time that is mutually agreeable.

 

[Bald Rick]

What are they checking for is it paper work or what

Check that tags are in both ears and that numbers match the passports.
Right ball ache... esp if you have 168 cows

 

[Filthyfarmer]

You could also point out to them that for welfare reasons for the cattle and you and your staff you are not doing it during this heatwave.

 

[topground]

Would the inspector still want to visit if you had Covid?

 

[Clive]

I have no problem with RPA inspections but how reasonable should it be...
I explain ...
20 mins ago had a phone call " I need to come and do a whole herd tag test on one of your holdings"

I explained that
a, the cattle were alli out on grass keep and not back till end of next week
b, we have just managed to have a bit of summer and we are busy harvesting
c, we are TB testing on the 18th Sept can it not be done then?

No ,we have to do it within 48 hrs he replied .
I've told him I'm not prepared to do it as it's totally inconvenient and I have no spare time atm .
....I did make a concession by saying that he can come round 6am Fri morning and look at passports and the come with me whe I feed then and try and read tags while they are mopping up their feed .
"That is not convenient," I'm told, " I have to drop the children off at school before I come out "

So he has been told ...I'm just NOT doing g it !!!

So....am I unreasonable?
My MP has already been alerted to the problem !

there is only one 6’o clock in a civil servant’s day !