Suspended from Red Tractor

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
Are these people for real - this stupidity has to stop

So after after storing 10's of thousands of grain this season in our farm / commercial stores, last week we deliver the last load of milling wheat, as we all know as practical farmers the last load form a store involves some sweeping down etc

1 (yes ONE) mouse dropping found ! so load rejected for milling, this is the ONLY rejection we have had all year so a very small % of our crop wheat crop ALL of which has gone to gp1 quality markets,

NO issue with the merchant, we discussed bringing back to clean, (not that ONE mouse dropping hardly justifies ) but we are fortunate to have modern facility to do so or re direct to a feed whet home (are chickens REALLY that picky ?)

Haulage and workload considered we decided it was best to redirect to a feed home - disappointing but not the end of the world, merchant as disappointed as us I think and just as annoyed by the pettyness of RT

NOW THE RIDICULOUS

A letter arrives yesterday from Red Tractor saying we are suspended from the scheme until we write to them explaining what we are going to do about our rodent problem.

I could write back and tell them how sorry we are and how we will change our policies etc. I'm sure a bit of bullpoo along those lines would satisfy them despite the fact it would change nothing and I would in reality do nothing different at all. Doing so would simply make me dishonest when there is nothing better or more that I can realistically do, there is no problem. The problem is their completely unrealistic and frankly ludicrous idea that any farm has no mice on it whatsoever

We do NOT have a rodent problem, our storage facility is second to none IMO, we pass assurance with no uncompliances most years, and are not only red tractor assured but assured as a 3rd party store and testing lab under the way more robust GTAS scheme, we have a regular baiting policy and records , its very rare we see a mouse and I have never seen a rat in our yard. Bait points are plentiful, toped up regularly and are well located, modern buildings are sealed as well as any building can be, realistically there is nothing more that could be done to keep any rodent issues to a minimum here

I will be writing to tell them I intend to do nothing, there schemes is ridiculous, do they seriously expect there to be no mice at all on a farmyard ? Can ANY farm serious claim they have ZERO mice ever ?

Something needs to be done about these idiots, they are not being realistic here, if a modern multimillion £ storage facility like we have here can't satisfy them god only knows what will

What's the solution ? we have added this layer of extra cost to our business that has turned most farmers into liars to satisfy their unrealistic expectations, all so we can "compete" with grain and meat imported from markets where they don't even store stuff indoors quite often !
 
Last edited:

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
Do these idiots not realise that your wheat spent 9 months outside growing in a field with every passing pigeon, crow and whatever sh!tting all over it; foxes and badgers p!ssing on it and, oh dear. even worse, harvest mice actually living and breeding in it?
One mouse dropping in your massive tonnage may warrant a letter but to get suspended is ridiculous. It just, once again, highlights what a petty, nit picking organisation RT has become.
 

Neuson510k

Member
Location
North Coast
I will be writing to tell them I intend to do nothing, there schemes is ridiculous, do they seriously expect there to be no mice at all on a farmyard ? Can ANY farm serious claim they have ZERO mice ever ?

Don't Do It!!!

This is very easily fixed, you write a letter explaining your "Corrective Actions" Basically explain what you think happened, What you will do about it, and what can be learned from this. You can stick a few punches in there in you want.

Everything is about duty of care nowadays. Just admit that your procedure failed but you fully intend to carry out an investigation and work hard to get it sorted. ( But in reality you carry on as normal ) The corrective action letter covers all of this.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I would just write back and say there negative attitude to farmers has been noted and reported to a national farming forum. Unless this negative attitude towards farmers is amended then a positive boycott of Red Tractor will be actively encouraged and a rival organization actively promoting the benefits of UK farming will be set up.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.3%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.3%

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

  • 1,287
  • 1
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/
Top