Sheep breeding survey

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
The trouble is, the AHDB works for us all. This is often OK for the industry but rather fails to acknowledge that what is good for processors, may not be good for farmers.
This has worried me too much in the past but the recent actions of the NBA, which has falsified information to try and let one part of the industry to have an advantage over the rest,has proved the need to keep these organisations under close supervision.
Many of these associations, processors, supermarkets and AHDB have a fairly incestuous relationship. Lots of staff switch between them and they all sit on each others committees.
I think it is reasonable to say, and the evidence suggests, that the interests of farmer is not a priority.
None of this would matter so much if the UK had a properly functioning market.
As @delilah often reminds us, market share is the root of evil.
Each processor is controlled by a supermarket and the 4 or 5 'partnerships' account for the vast majority of the UK market. They can and do manipulate the price.
Surely it is best not to aid them in these endeavours?

The NBA is a producer organisation, much like the NSA is, and has nothing to do with levy funded bodies or processors.
Their views are those of their members, and it is their members that decided it was a good idea to push for all cattle to be finished earlier. :banghead:
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
The NBA is a producer organisation, much like the NSA is, and has nothing to do with levy funded bodies or processors.
Their views are those of their members, and it is their members that decided it was a good idea to push for all cattle to be finished earlier. :banghead:

The NBA didn't ask their members.
AHDB are a corporate supporter of the NBA.

I was using it as an example of how badly it can go wrong in a producer organisation.

The AHDB represents the industry. Slaughterers and exporters have the same voting rights as farmers. If a producer organisation can be swayed with supposedly no input, how much do you think AHDB is swayed when they are?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
The NBA didn't ask their members.
AHDB are a corporate supporter of the NBA.

I was using it as an example of how badly it can go wrong in a producer organisation.

The AHDB represents the industry. Slaughterers and exporters have the same voting rights as farmers. If a producer organisation can be swayed with supposedly no input, how much do you think AHDB is swayed when they are?

I dare say that NBA policy was dreamt up amongst those members that go to meetings, sit on committees, etc, like with most groups do.
 

Lincs

Member
Livestock Farmer
The biggest problem I have is why send it out at the beginning of October when it needs filling in at the end of December. I won’t even know which pile of paper it is in by then!!!
 

ImLost

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Not sure
If you're that worried about the results of the sheet influencing how much supermarkets plan to import etc. Then just multiply the number of ewes you "plan" to breed from by about 10 and fill the sheet in with that in mind. That way they'll all expect a glut of British meat and won't plan to import as much... Just saying 😉😊
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I dare say that NBA policy was dreamt up amongst those members that go to meetings, sit on committees, etc, like with most groups do.

Which takes us to the point made in the last Private Eye. The NFU and all these organisations are skewed to represent the needs of the big players with the time and money to influence them.
The average livestock farmer simply doesn't have the means.

It still seems to me that accurately returning this survey is the equivalent to playing poker with your cards dealt face up.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Which takes us to the point made in the last Private Eye. The NFU and all these organisations are skewed to represent the needs of the big players with the time and money to influence them.
The average livestock farmer simply doesn't have the means.

It still seems to me that accurately returning this survey is the equivalent to playing poker with your cards dealt face up.

Not so much ‘big players’ as those that can be bothered to attend meetings to put their views across? NBA, NSA, NFU etc all formulate policies based on what their members(those that can be arsed to attend & contribute) say.

If you leave those decisions to others by not turning up, then you can’t really complain. You choose to abdicate those decisions to others when you choose to be a member, but not contribute IMO.
I say that as somebody who mostly can’t be arsed to go to those meetings myself btw, as is the case for most other members. Some people like working in committee structures more than others.🤐
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Not so much ‘big players’ as those that can be bothered to attend meetings to put their views across? NBA, NSA, NFU etc all formulate policies based on what their members(those that can be arsed to attend & contribute) say.

If you leave those decisions to others by not turning up, then you can’t really complain. You choose to abdicate those decisions to others when you choose to be a member, but not contribute IMO.
I say that as somebody who mostly can’t be arsed to go to those meetings myself btw, as is the case for most other members. Some people like working in committee structures more than others.🤐

You are a good bloke neilo, and the truth is, it isn't that you can't be arsed but that on balance, you've got better things to do.
Most small farms either work their arses off to keep things going or work elsewhere. This really doesn't leave a lot of time for traipsing around.
There are many larger farming businesses where the owner has got staff to keep things going while he heads off for a day of 'work', having lunch in a small country hotel somewhere, with the rest of the committee he knows from various other boards.
Not only do larger farms have the time to attend these things but the incentive to make better use of any influence gained.
I think the majority are guilty of having too much faith in their representatives looking out for them.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
You are a good bloke neilo, and the truth is, it isn't that you can't be arsed but that on balance, you've got better things to do.
Most small farms either work their arses off to keep things going or work elsewhere. This really doesn't leave a lot of time for traipsing around.
There are many larger farming businesses where the owner has got staff to keep things going while he heads off for a day of 'work', having lunch in a small country hotel somewhere, with the rest of the committee he knows from various other boards.
Not only do larger farms have the time to attend these things but the incentive to make better use of any influence gained.
I think the majority are guilty of having too much faith in their representatives looking out for them.

Thank you.:)

I was once told that those who put themselves forward for election to committees are usually the ones least well qualified for the position.
That’s normally about right ime.:(
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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    Votes: 28 15.8%
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    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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