The Red Tractor ACCS referendum

[Grass And Grain]

Why is everyone giving Clive such a hard time on this thread. I think he's right on the mark, and I recon 95% of farmers will be right behind him.

 

[DiversificationDiverson]

TASCC Code of Practice - General for all schemes - Trade Assurance

see clause M63 p35

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

AS said elsewhere. I'm in pig assurance so it would have to allow our 'new' standards to remain pig assured.

The whole thing is a farce and the gravy train will fight tooth and nail to keep us paying the mug tax

 

[ajd132]

They will accuse Clive of rigging the vote on here.

 

[Raider112]

I voted before I realised it applies to crops rather than livestock.

 

[Cowski]

They will accuse Clive of rigging the vote on here.

They will just ignore it and try to pretend it’s not happening. This time however, if they don’t take notice, I think it will start to unravel. Introducing their new environmental standards is in direct conflict with government policy at present and I hope they get bitten.

 

[tullah]

They will just ignore it and try to pretend it’s not happening. This time however, if they don’t take notice, I think it will start to unravel. Introducing their new environmental standards is in direct conflict with government policy at present and I hope they get bitten.

Looks like we are about to crush them and the relief will be similar to the falling of the Berlin Wall!

 

[Grass And Grain]

I voted before I realised it applies to crops rather than livestock.

Think the software allowy you to go back and change your vote.

We've got to start somewhere, and ACCS is initially easiest to go for, as it adds no value and there is plenty of imported produce comes in. Can't think how anyone can give a credible reason as to why UK crop should exceed any inported standards (other than we obviously have to conform to legal standards).

 

[steveR]

Why is everyone giving Clive such a hard time on this thread. I think he's right on the mark, and I recon 95% of farmers will be right behind him.

Survey confirms that 100%

 

[Grass And Grain]

Survey confirms that 100%

I've actually got something right in my life for once

 

[Farma Parma]

ive said it before before all this grain assurance hand on heart swear on my late fathers life, no grain leaves this farm any diff quality wise
all from its seed to the time it leaves me to goto grain coop. Yes we like everyone else have had to have this admin cost struck on us & if you dont do it
grain coop wont take your grain. Shut the door job end of.
I spend the week before an inspection sorting paperwork out quite often at the last min to comply.
Its the biggest load of HOOHARR us as farmers have basically been forced at our cost too do & would gladly chuck it tomorrow for something else
if its there & you can convince where my Grain go's that iam 110% doing nothing illegal to it to produce it.

 

[Farma Parma]

ive said it before before all this grain assurance hand on heart swear on my late fathers life, no grain leaves this farm any diff quality wise
all from its seed to the time it leaves me to goto grain coop. Yes we like everyone else have had to have this admin cost struck on us & if you dont do it
grain coop wont take your grain. Shut the door job end of.
I spend the week before an inspection sorting paperwork out quite often at the last min to comply.
Its the biggest load of HOOHARR us as farmers have basically been forced at our cost too do & would gladly chuck it tomorrow for something else
if its there & you can convince where my Grain go's that iam 110% doing nothing illegal to it to produce it.

I had a much delayed annual inspection in Nov there, passed no probs,
The renewal is here allready for this year & inspection likely again probs in March,
i told the inspector i'll just show you pretty much everything the same again then, she said i know thats fine but thats how it it has to be

 

[Clive]

Think the software allowy you to go back and change your vote.

We've got to start somewhere, and ACCS is initially easiest to go for, as it adds no value and there is plenty of imported produce comes in. Can't think how anyone can give a credible reason as to why UK crop should exceed any inported standards (other than we obviously have to conform to legal standards).

indeed a voter can change their vote until the poll is closed

i want to leave this poll open for a while to give everyone a chance to see it and to give time for word to spread about it

im aware not everyone is a TFF member but it takes moments to register anonymously and you never have to come back again if you choose not to

 

[Farma Parma]

indeed a voter can change their vote until the poll is closed

i want to leave this poll open for a while to give everyone a chance to see it and to give time for word to spread about it

im aware not everyone is a TFF member but it takes moments to register anonymously and you never have to come back again if you choose not to

what is a ACCS that your thinking of doing then Clive any further info or have i missed this somewhere?

 

[Steevo]

Think the software allowy you to go back and change your vote.

We've got to start somewhere, and ACCS is initially easiest to go for, as it adds no value and there is plenty of imported produce comes in. Can't think how anyone can give a credible reason as to why UK crop should exceed any inported standards (other than we obviously have to conform to legal standards).

Or why imported produce should conform to lower standards.

Many will argue imported standards should rise to meet our own.....which is just fine too, because it just highlights the hypocrisy of this country's standards.

 

[Grass And Grain]

what is a ACCS that your thinking of doing then Clive any further info or have i missed this somewhere?

Well I suppose if imported isn't farm assured, then that is the answer. No scheme required!

 

[Clive]

what is a ACCS that your thinking of doing then Clive any further info or have i missed this somewhere?

im not thinking if doing anything unless we reach a point of no alternative, i have no ambition to start a scheme, i really have enough to do and frankly i can not think of a industry more boring than assurance !

i would rather hope we can make Red Tractor actually engage with farmers and see clearly what they want from a scheme

 

[Grass And Grain]

Or why imported produce should conform to lower standards.

Many will argue imported standards should rise to meet our own.....which is just fine too, because it just highlights the hypocrisy of this country's standards.

Cheapest way round for uk ag would be to not exceed the imported standard.

See post #20 of this thread for the AIC/UFAS imported standards, but they are gold plated compared to import standards.

 

[Thomas Simpson]

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 ill not accept milling wheat such products without a Red Tractor assurance sticker, this place 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 the replacement?

Sick of them adding more irrelevant crap every time the audit comes along.

 

[Clive]

Or why imported produce should conform to lower standards.

Many will argue imported standards should rise to meet our own.....which is just fine too, because it just highlights the hypocrisy of this country's standards.

the NFU argued just this recently when trade deals were being talked about but totally i unsuccessfully ....... its just not realistically achievable whilst keeping access to export markets and if it wasn’t for imports food would sadly increase poverty in the uk