RT Inspector

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Here we go again. So in their latest bout of fu*kwittery the world's most incompetent organisation, the NSF, has just informed me that my new inspector is actually my neighbour.

Whether or not we get along as neighbours isn't really the point, but ineveitably there would be times when you might not want your nieghbour knowing every detail of your business and poking into every corner of the farm. There may be "history" over all sorts of things going back for years which could affect the impartiality of the audit. Surely they send an inspector from outside the area? They always used to.

Am I being unreasonable in expecting this?
No
 

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
You could say exactly the same for any source of income outside of your main farming sector ….. diversification, wife on the job, relief milking etc.
Everyone needs to earn a crust

But I agree that neighbour should not inspect neighbour. Oh the pub tales they could tell
Offering your services to go and earn extra money by relief milking is a big step away from going and advising a dairy farmer how to run their operation.
I would like to hear you if one of your relief milkers piped up and told you to tidy up the yard and clean out the inside of your tm420s.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
You could say exactly the same for any source of income outside of your main farming sector ….. diversification, wife on the job, relief milking etc.
Everyone needs to earn a crust

But I agree that neighbour should not inspect neighbour. Oh the pub tales they could tell

When ag support has finally been withdrawn, is sending the wife out on the job going to be how farms survive? How will those in rural communities get the money to pay for those services?

Will Farming Connect be running subsidised training courses for them before they start and how do we register to become trainers? :unsure:
 

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Have to add, I realise I may seem a bit outspoken on this but I have had 3 different industry audits in the last 10 days and as I type I am participating in a virtual EA audit for pollution prevention and control. That's why I am sitting at the keyboard venting. Oh, and I have another hoop jumping extravaganza to participate in next week. So yes unfortunately I am up to speed on their attitudes.
 

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
When ag support has finally been withdrawn, is sending the wife out on the job going to be how farms survive? How will those in rural communities get the money to pay for those services?

Will Farming Connect be running subsidised training courses for them before they start and how do we register to become trainers? :unsure:
In the glens they used to measure a mans success by how good a paying job his wife had.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Wrap it up anyway you want, but let me put it another way. There are people in this industry and if they talk, you listen, as there will be wisdom and experience to learn from. How many times have you thought this of a clipboard wielding inspector?

I have to confess that a few of the inspectors I've dealt with over the years have certainly offered advice, politely received of course, that I wouldn't take. However, it's not necessarily the case that every inspector is going to be a failed farmer.

I quite fancy the idea of sitting in a warm farmhouse with coffee and biscuits ticking boxes for a few days a week, especially when it's pee'ing down with rain in the middle of winter. I understand they can earn £30k a year for doing so, which would be a lot more than most small farmers can actually earn from farming.

What happens once RT has dismantled itself I'm not sure. Go and audit for the Ministry instead I suppose?
 
I have to confess that a few of the inspectors I've dealt with over the years have certainly offered advice, politely received of course, that I wouldn't take. However, it's not necessarily the case that every inspector is going to be a failed farmer.

I quite fancy the idea of sitting in a warm farmhouse with coffee and biscuits ticking boxes for a few days a week, especially when it's pee'ing down with rain in the middle of winter. I understand they can earn £30k a year for doing so, which would be a lot more than most small farmers can actually earn from farming.

What happens once RT has dismantled itself I'm not sure. Go and audit for the Ministry instead I suppose?
We had trading standards do an inspection a few years ago,far more detail than usual ones,checking feed bins stock housing etc. After a while I asked why they were doubling up on farm assured work and they thought we weren't in it. Told them we were and our fawl number and they apologized for wasting our time. Apparently if you are not FA they need to do the same inspection anyway at some point
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Just been inspected for RT by our neighbouring farmers son. Went alright, passed, but can’t help thinking it’s all getting a bit parochial. Luckily he is a reasonable bloke and id as frustrated with some of the joke “nothing to do with food safety” requirements as we are. Surprised they can find anybody to do it TBH.
 

ewald

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Mid-Lincs
Wrap it up anyway you want, but let me put it another way. There are people in this industry and if they talk, you listen, as there will be wisdom and experience to learn from. How many times have you thought this of a clipboard wielding inspector?
My inspector for some years was a retired grain trader - very experienced and interesting man, who presumably wasn't ready to spend his life on the sofa.
I always felt that I learned something from him, he was able to make the inspection palatable.
 

Bald n Grumpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have to confess that a few of the inspectors I've dealt with over the years have certainly offered advice, politely received of course, that I wouldn't take. However, it's not necessarily the case that every inspector is going to be a failed farmer.

I quite fancy the idea of sitting in a warm farmhouse with coffee and biscuits ticking boxes for a few days a week, especially when it's pee'ing down with rain in the middle of winter. I understand they can earn £30k a year for doing so, which would be a lot more than most small farmers can actually earn from farming.

What happens once RT has dismantled itself I'm not sure. Go and audit for the Ministry instead I suppose?
Best you don't do an audit for me, no coffee or biscuits and the house is BL**dy freezing unless you come in the summer when it's just cold.
Auditors are there to check you comply with the rules not tell you how to run your business . Easiest inspection lately was food standards for the dairy pleasant man got on with the job , hope he's still doing it in 10 years when it's due again
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Best you don't do an audit for me, no coffee or biscuits and the house is BL**dy freezing unless you come in the summer when it's just cold.
Auditors are there to check you comply with the rules not tell you how to run your business . Easiest inspection lately was food standards for the dairy pleasant man got on with the job , hope he's still doing it in 10 years when it's due again

I find a cup of high quality coffee and some of Mrs An Gof’s finest baking, particularly the caramel shortbread, goes a long way to “easing” the situation into something more practical, civilised and amenable.
No point sparking with the inspector the moment they arrive 😉
 

Bertram

Member
I dealt with a chap from SAI recently who was a retired agronomist and a thoroughly nice bloke. We don't have anything to hide (well, no more than everybody else...) but he clearly wasn't looking to particularly trip us up either. Couple of minor non-conformances which I couldn't argue with, attended to a few days later, photos sent to the office, job done. NSF cockwombles can't even be arsed to answer the phone.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Best you don't do an audit for me, no coffee or biscuits and the house is BL**dy freezing unless you come in the summer when it's just cold.
Auditors are there to check you comply with the rules not tell you how to run your business . Easiest inspection lately was food standards for the dairy pleasant man got on with the job , hope he's still doing it in 10 years when it's due again

I just see the ‘non-compliance’ sheet filling up now.;)

Pleasantries and biting your tongue is usually the best way to handle these matters ime. If they are particularly officious, then asking their advice about something works a treat in smoothing the way I find. Think of it as a bit of Vaseline.🤐
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I'd quite like to have had a go doing farm audits. I think it's a bit rude to consider them to be failed farmers. Not sure how many farms really stand on their own feet in terms of filling every day with work. Certainly not an arable concern. Unless they're just making jobs for themselves. I find this "what makes a good farmer" lark a bit saddening; that if you earn any income from other sources you're basically saying your farm isn't run properly. We cant all be farming the same bit grandad bought in the 20s. A lot of folk have taken significant risk, or done well in other areas to be able to farm.

I've never had an inspector who was Captain Clipboard. Mainly chaps in the sector looking for a bit of extra income. I've plenty of time for them. No time for RT themselves.
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
I've had some thoroughly agreeable assessors here over the years and only one tit.
One farmer used to come, he can't have needed the income with 450ac arable at home, surely. He certainly wasn't a failure. I think it was a sociable way of getting out a bit.
ACCS, and now presumably NSF always did seem to attract the pedantic tossers, Genesis and now SAI, definitely less so.
 
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steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
I'd quite like to have had a go doing farm audits. I think it's a bit rude to consider them to be failed farmers. Not sure how many farms really stand on their own feet in terms of filling every day with work. Certainly not an arable concern. Unless they're just making jobs for themselves. I find this "what makes a good farmer" lark a bit saddening; that if you earn any income from other sources you're basically saying your farm isn't run properly. We cant all be farming the same bit grandad bought in the 20s. A lot of folk have taken significant risk, or done well in other areas to be able to farm.

I've never had an inspector who was Captain Clipboard. Mainly chaps in the sector looking for a bit of extra income. I've plenty of time for them. No time for RT themselves.
I had a Small farmer from the North of the county doing my last RPA inspection, Thoroughly nice chap and was more interested in talking about my old Zetor and suckler cows... :)
 
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