The truth about SFI/ GFC [as I see it]

[Jackov Altraids]

During Covid, the supermarkets were started on a path of 'pre-competitive collaboration'.
It worked well and they were keen to do more.
This resulted in the WWF basket;

WWF Basket

In November 2021 we launched the WWF Basket - a set of outcomes and measures to support the goal of halving the environmental impact of UK baskets by 2030.

www.wwf.org.uk

We then have a cost of living crisis and the government want the supermarkets to subdue food prices.
The supermarkets point out that removing £3 billion/ year which they received via UK farmers low food costs would only increase their prices, as would the legal commitments to meet net-zero targets.
If we can use that £3 billion to maintain food production but also commit 10% of agricultural land to nature, we can all meet our targets.
So at least the Welsh had the honesty to do this in a direct manner.
In England, they dreamt up a plan whereby the NFU [or maybe the BRC] got Red Tractor to create the GFC. Because as Minette said, " Sustainability is a licence to trade".
Meant to start as voluntary and at 5% of your holding, it seems inevitable it will become a compulsory 10% shortly.

And this is why I believe Mark Spencer [ Farm minister ] was concerned about farmers "taking the Mickey".
{https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/busi...-hints-at-elm-cap-to-maintain-food-production}
He just doesn't like the fact things aren't turning out quite like they intended.
With farmers either going into SFI large scale or not at all, it doesn't help their previous stated intentions of tying SFI and GFC together.


The bottom line is, English farmers are being stitched up by a collaboration of the government and the cartel, aided and abetted by the NFU and RT. Supported by AHDB.

 

[DaveGrohl]

Who’s Mark Spencer? Asking for a friend.

 

[Wood field]

Who’s Mark Spencer? Asking for a friend.

Franks lad ?

 

[Bald Rick]

Don't tell him, Betty

 

[DaveGrohl]

Don't tell him, Betty Pike.

 

[delilah]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

 

[Bald Rick]

@DaveGrohl ... oooh, Pike


Never mind.


We are being stitched up bigly from all directions

 

[DaveGrohl]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

Indeed. Conspiracies are by their very nature hidden. This is all out in the open, they’re that superior to us that they don’t care that we know because they think we can do nothing about it. Events on the Continent are refreshing that view thankfully.

Momentum seems to be building. We in the UK are standing front of an open goal and wondering if we should lace our boots up.

 

[onesiedale]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

true, but also The Cartel stood back and watched the development of SFI with glee as it was ticking all of their WWF basket-case boxes.
All they needed was a mechanism to get their hands on it.... GFC

 

[delilah]

I have never gone with this widespread view that the SFI is anti-livestock. Look at all the money for arable reversion, temporary leys etc.

The WWF basket-case, however, is openly anti-livestock. 50/50 split of protein sales between meat/plant.

Pick your battles. Stop the GFC, because it's a line in the sand on control.

 

[digger64]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

" SFI was designed by a FEW farmers " (known nowadays as "influencers" in trendy new speak ) .
Influencers are the link in "THEIR PERSONAL " grand plan .

 

[jondear]

Who’s Mark Spencer? Asking for a friend.

I thought surely you have heard of Marksandspencer !That's what I read !

 

[ajcc]

The use of unfamiliar acronyms rather limits understanding.
GFC.= global financial crisis? /Greener farming club?/Grocers federated consortium?
I honestly don’t know. . . nor do others hence “Dads Army” and “Some mothers do have them”
As for Mark Spencer that further confuses the grocery dimension and serves to blur everyone’s understanding further.
Wonder if that is his real name, just too coincidental really.

 

[J 1177]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

To be fair i agree with you, the government arent competent enough to carry such a elaborate concotion through.

 

[slackjawedyokel]

As for Mark Spencer that further confuses the grocery dimension and serves to blur everyone’s understanding further.
Wonder if that is his real name, just too coincidental really.

You trying to start up another conspiracy theory or something?

 

[Jackov Altraids]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

I didn't suggest it was a grand plan.
It may have been designed by farmers.
It will be moulded to suit whatever the political landscape requires.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

I have never gone with this widespread view that the SFI is anti-livestock. Look at all the money for arable reversion, temporary leys etc.

The WWF basket-case, however, is openly anti-livestock. 50/50 split of protein sales between meat/plant.

Pick your battles. Stop the GFC, because it's a line in the sand on control.

That may be correct.
But I think to fight GFC you need to know the dimensions of the battle.
The NFU seem to consider it unavoidable.
I would suggest that is because they know the extent to which this is integral to the government [and the cartel] meeting their net zero targets. Very similar to what the EU has just been forced to roll back on as the continent's farming union's fought it rather than aided.

 

[DrWazzock]

I entirely agree that SFI/GFC is a loose conspiracy between government and retailers.
That’s not really surprising. Such things happen all the time between government and corporate business. Some even work well.
This is different though. It’s different because it’s plain wrong.

Wrong about livestock and methane.
Wrong because less food grown here sucks in imports with a higher carbon footprint.
Wrong because the free market was working perfectly well to grow sectors such as direct drilling and precision spreading without needing market distorting grants.
Wrong because many of the SFI options will be very poor value for carbon reduction and for the taxpayer generally.
Wrong because with the GFC in particular they will create unnecessary and artificial barriers to U.K. market access for U.K. farmers while allowing in lower standard imports.
Oh yes indeed we as farmers (especially arable) could fill our boots on these Mickey Mouse options to produce next to nothing and sit in the house all day but it’s wrong at national policy level. It’s just another misguided naive system slowly busting the economy.

 

[DrWazzock]

And it’s all the fault of that nice Mrs May who committed the U.K. to be net zero by 2050 without a thought to the ramifications. There’s been a realisation that many of the things that the public hold dear such as air travel, buying endless amounts of disposable tat etc are simply incompatible with that target unless they can be somewhow offset by leaning on other industries to steal their credits (if there actually any to be had) and farming with its low number of voters is of course the obvious choice rather than going for tourism, air travel etc. The fact that leaning on farming in the U.K. to take land out of food production and put it into sequestration will only suck in more food imports is something that can be swept under carpet and keot away from scrutiny.
But what if farmers like myself just won’t play ball? What if we won’t setaside 5% of our productive land? Or what if some max out on schemes and produce nothing? Well then the government and the BRC has an uncontrollable problem entirely of its own making and it serves the fools jolly well right.

 

[warksfarmer]

The SFI was designed by farmers. The GFC is the cartel's baby.

You are looking for a connection that isn't there. There is no grand plan. Rather than seek conspiracy theories, time would be better spent on priorities, which right now should be stopping the GFC seeing the light of day.

The grand plan is to import all the food which then shifts the carbon side of it onto the supplying country and off our own backs. Hey presto the UK becomes the first carbon neutral country in the world whilst allowing all transport, flights, industry etc to carry on as normal. The UK countryside is the scapegoat.