The Red Tractor ACCS referendum

[Clive]

The Red Tractor logo or brand does not appear on products that UK cereal growers supply the ingredients for so unquestionably has no value to end consumers of bakery and other cereal products

The processors of these products including the likes of Hovis and Warburtons have stated that they have no requirement for RT assurance and that they use imported ingredients assured to standards lower than Red Tractor yet grain merchants will not accept milling wheat such products contain without a Red Tractor assurance sticker, this places UK growers at a competitive disadvantage to imported equivalents through additional cost incurred in production, membership and compliance with the higher standard


Red Tractor is currently consulting to further gold plate these already OTT standard. It is rumoured that this will, of course, come at significant extra cost

Many of the standard Red Tractor already audits are UK law, enforced and policed by various government agencies, such legislation already ensures our production is to a higher environmental and welfare standard than the import we compete against, Red Tractor members are paying for legislation already enforced as a large part of the existing audit

The UK farmers voice referendum question is simple -

If an alternative scheme, accepted by our merchant buyers, existed that assured to the SAME (but no higher) standard as imported cereals and did not "police" standards already required by UK law-making cereal production significantly cheaper and less onerous would you resign from Red Tracor and join its replacement?

 

[colhonk]

Have voted YES, even though I already have told RT where to go.

 

[tullah]

I shan't vote for either as both options given above mean more of the same. Any scheme is a drain on farm resources, unnecessary and just jobs for the same RT boys to move along to.

 

[Clive]

I shan't vote for either as both options given above mean more of the same. Any scheme is a drain on farm resources, unnecessary and just jobs for the same RT boys to move along to.

A level of assurance is required by UK law for imported grain, we could not supply without that, however, most of that "equivalent to import" is covered by UK law already so the "same as" replacement would need to cover VERY little in addition as far as anyone can tell me

 

[MrNoo]

Looks like there is one RT bod on here then!!!

 

[tullah]

A level of assurance is required by UK law for imported grain, we could not supply without that, however, most of that "equivalent to import" is covered by UK law already so the "same as" replacement would need to cover VERY little in addition as far as anyone can tell me

If 90% farms dumped RT and didn't sign up to the "equal to imports" then where would the mills get their supplies?
We could use our clout to stand firm together on this with no compromises and watch them cave in.

 

[DiversificationDiverson]

Voted yes as i could not feed (my then ) non assured grain to my Dairy cattle... Would save me nothing...

 

[Clive]

Looks like there is one RT bod on here then!!!

I'm sure "the question is unfair" "we fixed it" "not many voted" "the question is badly worded" "what about livestock" "what about veg" .................................... and every other single excuse in the book why YOUR opinion as a farmer and RT customer doesn't matter will be made


I've tried to keep its as simple and single issue as possible re ACCS as of all the areas it covers this is the part that really can not claim to have ever added value to a single UK grain sold

 

[Clive]

Voted yes as i could not feed (my then ) non assured grain to my Dairy cattle... Would save me nothing...

where does all the imported feed go if it's not feeding RT assured livestock? or doesn't your own feed has to be assured even if you mix it with imported Soya for example that is not RT assured ? .

 

[DiversificationDiverson]

where does all the imported feed go if it's not feeding RT assured livestock? or doesn't your own feed has to be assured even if you mix it with imported Soya for example ? .

currentlysame audit.... I would then a have to do at least two audits.... need another for Beet?
all the imported feed is UFAS https://www.aictradeassurance.org.uk/ufas/documents/ufas/

 

[down n'dirty]

Could you tell us how the imorted grain standards differ from our Red Tractor assurance scheme please Clive?

 

[FarmyStu]

As anyone can vote, so long as they're a member of this forum, this is pointless isn't it? People have already stated that they have voted despite not being in RT. Am I missing something?

 

[manhill]

Two layers of inspection now, RSPCA and RT for livestock farmers. RSPCA requireents come to over 50 pages.

 

[Clive]

Could you tell us how the imorted grain standards differ from our Red Tractor assurance scheme please Clive?

I'm still trying to get details on that but from what I have learnt so far they are little more than UK legislation covers (lower in fact as we know products baned in the UK are allowed in our imports)

 

[Clive]

As anyone can vote, so long as they're a member of this forum, this is pointless isn't it? People have already stated that they have voted despite not being in RT. Am I missing something?

it's never pointless to ask an opinion, I'm not claiming this is some sort of regulated vote independently audited etc, its is simply what it is, a chance to express your opinion on this


the alternative is we let them tell us what we think .................... how independent or valid is that

 

[Goweresque]

Ooooh, is @Clive aiming to be the farmer's Wat Tyler?

A word of warning - after a promising start the Peasants Revolt ran out of steam and our Wat was killed by the King's men and his head was paraded around London on a pole.

 

[DiversificationDiverson]

it's never pointless to ask an opinion, I'm not claiming this is some sort of regulated vote independently audited etc, its is simply what it is, a chance to express your opinion on this


the alternative is we let them tell us what we think .................... how independent or valid is that

Dont fancy paying and having multiple audits for UFAS, FEMAS and TASCC (that in effect RT is currently doing in one visit on one morning)

 

[Clive]

Ooooh, is @Clive aiming to be the farmer's Wat Tyler?

A word of warning - after a promising start the Peasants Revolt ran out of steam and our Wat was killed by the King's men and his head was paraded around London on a pole.

I'm more likely to run out of time and money than anything else

 

[Clive]

Dont fancy paying and having multiple audits for UFAS, FEMAS and TASCC (that in effect RT is currently doing in one visit on one morning)

You would need next to nothing audited to be able to supply combinable crops to the same standard as imports (maybe nothing beyond what is law even but I can not find that out despite asking several merchants and processors now) .................. this thread is purposely about ACCS

 

[Grass And Grain]

From AIC / UFAS...

An alternative acceptable approach for ensuring the safety and legality of non-UK/ Eire combinable crops is outlined below:

The combinable crop must be supplied by a member of an assurance scheme recognized by AIC and
listed in Approved Suppliers above, and the mill must obtain specific evidence from the supplier relating to each purchase regarding all of the following:
a) All pesticides used pre and post-harvest are approved for use in the EU and;
b) All pesticides used pre and post-harvest have been applied both singly and cumulatively at
levels approved for use in the EU; and
c) All storage used (beginning at the point of first collection or storage) meets the standards
required by the AIC TASCC Stores Scheme relating to hygiene and cleaning, pest control and
prevention of contamination"

Fine chance of that happening, and so it would seem that UFAS allows non-UK feeds to be used in a ration that haven't been audited to the same standards as they require from UK producers.