Solid urea use restricted and to be regulated by Red Tractor

[MrNoo]

Would it be impossible to show the same level of lobbying enthusiasm and ethics towards private organisation which is acting as a block to market access for UK farmers? And its not even a government initiative its a private one run by spivs and have made themselves unaccountable

And if its not possible, why is it not possible? Why is one organisation being allowed to corner access to the grain market?

Ah but, it's voluntary isnt it............
NFU's lovechild too.
I welcome a decent actual "farmer's Union" one that actually supports farmers instead of hampering them all the time via their poxy quango bodies. A Union that has one member one vote, a union that is made up of "FARMERS" not a bunch of knob jockeys chasing the next gong or new years honours list. A union that doesnt bend producers over for industry to shaft 24/7/365
The NFU is not a Farming union, fact

 

[ajd132]

NFU and others including NIAB TAG have fought an industry wide opposition to the Governments idea which was to ban Urea. They get a bit of a result and all they get is abuse. FFS.

The EAs interpretation of Rule 1 in Farming Rules for Water has been successfully overturned, more or less, by an industry back lash of which the NFU was a large part. I suppose nobody's happy about that either. I must admit I am extremely grateful as I have 1400 of valuable FYM to spread every autumn and I don't want to be doing it outside of regulation. Its paid my membership fee many times over.

It should never have got to this point in the first place though. NFU and niab etc have done a job in getting us to still be allowed to use it, for which i am grateful. But it should never have happend.
for how long have the likes of CF been lobbying government against urea, with the backing of AIC? Why are the AICC (association of independent crop consultants)(not to be confused with AIC) on record as saying repeatedly the AN is much better than UREA despite niab proving numerous times there is no difference.
It seems to me that there has been a big push against urea from various parts of our industry for years by those with vested interests and it has gone unchecked. The NFU and niab have thankfully been able to salvage it last minute. However this should have been stopped and proved false years ago. We are the only country in the world that favours AN over urea!

good job on the muck though, fair play.

 

[Steevo]

no more mad, than wanting to make every livestock transport trailer/lorry with decks illegal to use

I don't know where they think they'd get all the extra lorries from if they forced everyone to use AN.

 

[Steevo]

So why have you brought in RT to police it??????? Gravy train continues on and on at our expense

Exactly this!

RT offer them that opportunity on a plate at every opportunity whatever is needed.

Same with slurry storage requirements, policed by RT. Govt would need many many different departments to do this within the current structure but RT offer it as a catch-all farm inspection service, as paid for by the industry.



If RT didn't police it, you can be sure as hell that the government wouldn't be able to do it successfully themselves, let alone afford to.

 

[Steevo]

We are the only country in the world that favours AN over urea!

We are one of the few countries that seems to buck the generally accepted trend and our powers that be seem to think that they know better and that way we can be "global leaders in standards".

 

[SilliamWhale]

We are one of the few countries that seems to buck the generally accepted trend and our powers that be seem to think that they know better and that way we can be "global leaders in standards".

But for what?

To be undermined by import

 

[Steevo]

But for what?

To be undermined by import

To be able to tell the population they can have their cake and eat it...in an attempt to secure votes from all sectors without risking division/alienation.

This is achieved by putting out a head in the sand press release/statement saying that our government are doing all the things that a small but militant group of eco-fantasists are trying to brainwash the wider population into thinking should be the case.

Oh, and the implication that all of that can be delivered free of cost and responsibility for 99% of society.


The reality is that 99% of the population couldn't care less about it, but think that it's socially responsible to do so (because they are told so by the biased, militant pressure groups) and as it costs them nothing personally it can only be a good thing.

But when the fundamentals aren't there and the average person's lifestyle is threatened by no food, fuel, etc. that's when the population will find out what it has really cost them and that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

 

[Steevo]

But for what?

To be undermined by import

To be undermined by attractive CHEAP imports.......but only if you can get it!

If you cannot (a bit like any farms deciding not to buy fertiliser this year) get that, you find that it's actually a FAR more expensive policy!

 

[tullah]

So why have you brought in RT to police it??????? Gravy train continues on and on at our expense

Next door will kindly buy mine for me. Treat them like we treat Putin. Don't succumb to blackmail

 

[e3120]

Being one of the most northerly farms that these new rules apply to, I've had to scratch my head a bit. Wheat only got first nitrogen (urea) on Tuesday as rain was due, otherwise it could have waited until into April. Meanwhile a notable south-west member judged that his crop needed and could utilise a January application. Yet 31st March applies to us both.

I'm only RT for beef & lamb - does this mean I can't be trusted to use urea sensibly on crops - after all it's as cheap as chips?

It's going to rather hard to police similarly to rat poison if applications 5 miles away (Scotland) are not subject to the same rules. I suppose scotgov will rush to be one step 'better' soon.

 

[AT Aloss]

I, for one am particularly delighted that we've so much less bureaucracy & red tape now......

 

[Two Tone]

I, for one am particularly delighted that we've so much less bureaucracy & red tape now......

Guess who wrote this?
On Countryside Stewardship, I want schemes simplified to the extent that any farmer - any farmer - can complete an application in a working day. Starting at the computer after breakfast the whole process has to be able to be finished by six o’clock when it will be time for a well-deserved pint.

So WTF does his government and colleague George Useless do but split it into 3 different parts of something called ELMs

This is the sort of stupid logic that our Government has and exactly why these stupid rules re Urea get passed.
Pint of whisky anyone?

 

[SilliamWhale]

Thinking about it some more.

How come Red Tractor have been handed the contract to audit urea use? Why has no other organisation been given the chance to do this?

 

[MrNoo]

Thinking about it some more.

How come Red Tractor have been handed the contract to audit urea use? Why has no other organisation been given the chance to do this?

I would guess Tom Bradshaw would be in a position to tell you. He’s on Twatter but he’ll ignore you if you ask too pointy a question or the answer will make the farce more obvious.

 

[bobk]

I would guess Tom Bradshaw would be in a position to tell you. He’s on Twatter but he’ll ignore you if you ask too pointy a question or the answer will make the farce more obvious.

What ever happened to @Guy Smith ......

 

[Barleymow]

What ever happened to @Guy Smith ......

He blocked us all

 

[bobk]

He blocked us all

I thought he was better than that , how wrong can you be ,

 

[Wombat]

It'll be like rat poison currently, no RT number means you cant buy it, it'll be the same, you watch.

Yes you can, dad did the lantra course and that trumps the red tractor number. So he shows that and never has an issue

 

[Flat 10]

What ever happened to @Guy Smith ......

He lives in abject terror apparently
I say that flippantly as I hope that he is exaggerating the criticism he has received on here as threats to him and his family.
If of course he has been threatened by some nut job I think that's totally deplorable and I hope the police have been notified but I consider it unlikely. I suspect it's along the lines of @SilliamWhale and @MrNoo 's point that the direct question of "How come RT are going to check the urea ban?" needs to be avoided at all costs. Wouldn't want to be held to account would they? Because they can see that their position is getting shaky vis quality assurance (ie its a protection racket) they are inveigling their way into being indispensable to government and as such being a member of RT will be compulsory (ie simply to use pesticides for example) going forward, and in effect a "Licence to farm". (Credit George Dunn- if you want to join an anti RT union, do consider the TFA). If you doubt me RT have stated their ambition to administer ELMS and this combined with this urea policing leaves me in no doubt as to the direction of travel. And it makes me phenomenally angry and sad at the same time.

 

[bobk]

This debacle with our so called leaders is deplorable .

Makes @Janet Hughes Defra efforts laudable , at least she tries .