The UK Farmers Union - is it time ?

[Danllan]

Happy I can just say at the end of your piece you're talking out of your's and I'm glad I can just not have to deal with it any more

And I'm more than happy that your self-righteous priggishness is no longer inflicted on us.

 

[Sid]

I believe we should let the NFU do what they do best - the horrible boring ugly stuff - they do it very well. We should concentrate on getting them to relinquish the bits they are clueless on - promoting UK Ag, countering false news, and marketing us and our produce. I don't know but I would guess that most of their marketing, PR, and advertising budget is aimed at us - their members. Why preach to the converted? I get really pee'd off when I receive their glossy mags and discount books - 10% off a 4x4 - it's a waste of time and money. that discount is available to those who ask.
If they say gave up a couple of million, we got some more from AHDB, CLA and others, set up a really sharp, young, fast moving farmer lead team that where beholden to nobody other than a small farmer populated directorate... now we're farming!

I had a long conversation with a very switched on lady on public procurement.
As everyone knows there is a green paper out with public consultation on this.
Its on everyone from pens to vehicles.
Hospitals, prisons, schools and military catering is also within it.

Of course every is going to put in representation on this important subject to make sure British food features on the menus.

She is putting together, an extensive document to be submitted, on behalf of NFU members, on a subject that I or many on this forum wouldn't do.
The reason I spoke to her is to make sure organic get a fair slice of the cake.

Have the CLA , TFA, NSA, NBA done this?

We then have a long discussion on school food provision and its about making food exciting ,educating and enticing for the next generation of consumers!

Do any of the above do this?

 

[Danllan]

I had a long conversation with a very switched on lady on public procurement.
As everyone knows there is a green paper out with public consultation on this.
Its on everyone from pens to vehicles.
Hospitals, prisons, schools and military catering is also within it.

Of course every is going to put in representation on this important subject to make sure British food features on the menus.

She is putting together, an extensive document to be submitted, on behalf of NFU members, on a subject that I or many on this forum wouldn't do.
The reason I spoke to her is to make sure organic get a fair slice of the cake.

Have the CLA , TFA, NSA, NBA done this?

We then have a long discussion on school food provision and its about making food exciting ,educating and enticing for the next generation of consumers!

Do any of the above do this?

Fair questions, but are any of those you mention mandated to do it?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Most unions were as strong as the strike action they took in order to "be heard"

Which is why farmer unions don't work, basically every member is "a scab" when they have bills to pay

however, I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do

 

[JP1]

And I'm more than happy that your self-righteous priggishness is no longer inflicted on us.

The place still needs moderation, a fact that seems to have escaped you. It was never a law court and I'm afraid you might have to accept Moderators just try to have balance and keep the place running

 

[JP1]

Back on topic, how does DEFRA or a Government or even Keir Starmer know which union has the mandate to speak on the industry's behalf?

 

[Bald Rick]

Wales has two unions doesnt it

Yes .. NFU Cymru and FUW. Both were born out of the NFU.
The former to stop all farmers deserting to the latter

Whether having two Unions having a pop at the Senedd is better or not, I cannot say

 

[Henarar]

I've seen so many really good farmers with the right ideas become useless yes men as they get sight of a paid officer gravy train position ....... twitter is littered with their poor lost, empty souls

sorry but That is bloody hilarious

 

[Sid]

sorry but That is bloody hilarious

Was he looking in the mirror when he came to that conclusion?

 

[Danllan]

The place still needs moderation, a fact that seems to have escaped you. It was never a law court and I'm afraid you might have to accept Moderators just try to have balance and keep the place running

Never argued with any of that, but you weren't always objective, and being ex curia is irrelevant, a mod' on here should be objective and not subjective.

 

[cb387]

I would definitely be in favour of a new union. NFU don’t represent us.

However, judging by the previous 4 pages it’s going to be very difficult to get any agreement.

Start a thread where we can all air how much we hate RT / NFU and soon get hundreds of pages

Start a thread to try and do something about it and its a very different matter

 

[Fake it ‘til you make it]

Most unions were as strong as the strike action they took in order to "be heard"

Which is why farmer unions don't work, basically every member is "a scab" when they have bills to pay

however, I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do

Yep. And the processors will divide and rule. ‘Sweetheart’ deals above base price for larger consignments of finished cattle from big players is one example of this.

There isn’t a ‘cookie cutter’ Union solution for all farms, in my opinion. Smaller livestock operators are probably best ignoring RT etc and selling direct to consumers, supporting their local abattoir if there is one left. Large scale meat producers are probably best served by focusing on output and hitting supermarket specs/ premium export markets. By the sound of it, arable farmers should get together and buy/ set up a mill of their own?? (Though good farmers don’t always make good processors).

 

[SJG]

The NFU is neither one thing nor the other. If it's a union - looking after its members then great - but it shouldn't be seen to be the body that promotes, markets and assures us (Len McLuskey, Arthur Scargill et al marketeers?!). Does any other union in the world do those things? We need to persuade them to cough up their badly used marketing budget and then we need to step up and create a PR/marketing/promotion vehicle for the industry

 

[ImLost]

Very well said

Vegan/vegetarian and alternative eating could be the making of uk agriculture

Yet scorn is poured on it - on these very pages

Farmers have land and with a bit of forethought could grow produce to feed these vegans & vegetarians

I don’t quite get why everyone feels so threatened, when you have the ‘where with all’ to satisfy the vegetarian market

I was more thinking get rid of veganism entirely if we played it right...



But yeh, you have a point

 

[kiwi pom]

Dont split hairs

I'm not. Clive says, only farmers are allowed. I'm just trying to find out what a farmer is?

 

[Farmer_Joe]

I’m in, at least people here try to listen, rt or Nfu we are clearly pissing in the wind now trying to influence them,

Certainly nothing to lose, only gain so I’m keen

 

[FarmyStu]

I'm not sure why you need any representatives if everything will be decided by OMOV online software? Surely you just pose the question to the members, they vote, the decision is made. Maybe one person and a deputy to explain the policy to the media. They'd have to be good enough to hold their own on Question Time, news programs and select committees obviously. Your main problem would seem to be knowing who was a farmer and who wasn't. @Clive has referred to "typical farmers" in other threads so maybe that's a start (once he defines it). As it would seem to be a question of setting up a website I'd just do it. Clive would soon find out how many people actually back his positions rather than how many he claims back his positions on his Twitter rants. Go Clive!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

So no landlords, that would rule out a lot of semi retired farmers who rent some/all of their ground out.
What about the likes of Dyson?
Share farmers in? perhaps it could be open to farm managers and other Ag workers, they need a voice in farming too and do a lot of the work?

Elected officials only getting expenses probably rules out small to mid size farmers who are already flat out all day. Perhaps older, semi retired or combinable cropping farmers would have the time and not need the money but that makes it sound like an old boys club already.

A lot of merchants run farms

 

[kiwi pom]

I’m in, at least people here try to listen, rt or Nfu we are clearly pissing in the wind now trying to influence them,

Certainly nothing to lose, only gain so I’m keen

Listening is easy but British Ag is so varied everyone wants something different.
What happens when you've listened to everyone and then have to make a decision? Do you have a vote on every single thing?

 

[Clive]

I'm not sure why you need any representatives if everything will be decided by OMOV online software? Surely you just pose the question to the members, they vote, the decision is made. Maybe one person and a deputy to explain the policy to the media. They'd have to be good enough to hold their own on Question Time, news programs and select committees obviously. Your main problem would seem to be knowing who was a farmer and who wasn't. @Clive has referred to "typical farmers" in other threads so maybe that's a start (once he defines it). As it would seem to be a question of setting up a website I'd just do it. Clive would soon find out how many people actually back his positions rather than how many he claims back his positions on his Twitter rants. Go Clive!

sounds like you ddin’t bother watching the video I posted but maybe you are right, it needs no leader We simply set the software free and let it work, users propose ideas and vote on them - Policy makers can see the results

If for some reason a leader was required, to be clear I have no desire to lead anything like this, I do not have time and coyld not afford to take focus of the businesses that pay the bills

I’m happy to work with others to set it up however IF there was demand