What do Red Tractor do for their money?

Clause 3 of my milk contract stipulates that it is a requirement of supply that the farm/business is RT compliant.

I don't actually object to being audited to ensure that the farm is presentable and that we are doing our best to produce a wholesome product.

I do, however, object to the fact that RT is, to all intents and purposes, meaningless to the general public as it was never promoted properly at birth so has no "branding" or recognition over say a French cheese on the supermarket shelf.
I also object to an ever greater power grab/job justification by RT with more & more compliances and of course they should have been reigned in BUT when the consultation response was so poor (Guilty M'lud), and the fact that it is Jobs for the Boys on the RT board, then perhaps we only have ourselves to blame.


And, as I said, some dairy farmers walked away from their supermarket aligned contracts because of ever tightening inspections and petty rules

Around here there have been times where farmers would fight tooth and nail to get a supermarket contract because their prices are generally very good. Yes, they are more demanding in their requirements but at least you are paid a premium in return and have the option to sell to someone else and say no thanks to their scheme if you so choose.

RT gives you no such option. I don't understand why dairy farms need it. Most milk buyers have requirements and inspectors who are far more clued up.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
Just having a long needed clear out of some paperwork and found some glossy pamphlet from RT saying they had had 700 replies to the latest consultation on revised standards, 700 ain’t that many compared to the number of farmers involved..............and it didn’t say, I don’t know, who was entitled to reply to the consultation, was it just farmers?
To be honest they didn’t make replying to the consultation a very user friendly experience. I found it very frustrating.
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
As far as I can see red tractor get there money very easily, for doing bugger all.

All they do is cost me money, money that would be better spent on things to take my business forwards in a post brexit world.

red Tractors business model is a very poor one, Forcing farmers to part with money. It’s not a sustainable way long term for them.

They really need scrapping altogether as they are an unneeded unviable unworthy parasite sucking money out of british agriculture.

Yes they could reform but they have been so badly and misguidedly managed over the years that I seriously think there beyond help now and the current management can’t see the wood for the trees.

terrible shame as red tractor could have been a flagship brand for British ag and could have been a great thing, But as it is they Have failed us on every level.
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I believe the accurate reply to

What do Red Tractor do for their money?​


is that they pay themselves quite well for transferring responsibilities and traceability's from retailers to the primary producer who also have to fund it.
This has been proven by recent examples of products being traceable from field to the processor but then, as seemingly always, traceability is lost getting to the retailer.
 

Grass And Grain

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Yorks
What do RT do for their money?

They make famers pay to join RT.

Farmer sells RT grain to mill, who then mixes it with non-assured imports..mill can't now use RT logo on product, so mill won't pay UK farmer any premium price.

So to summarise...

RT makes it basically mandatory to join ,adds cost to UK farmers, but produces zero premium, thereby putting UK growers at a competitive disadvantage.

NFU and AHDB hink this is a great idea.

I, on the other hand, don't agree with them. It's just an extra cost for me, and one less cost for my competitors.
 

Hfd Cattle

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Hereford
I sell very little grain off my place . I'm RT (at the moment) on the livestock but not the grain .....I have no trouble selling my surplus grain ....perhaps cos it's only a couple of lorry loads🤷‍♂️

Back to OP
RT manage to cause a lot of friction between my OH and myself just prior to and on the inspection day .
As said before I'm ,just for once, looking forward to my next inspection cos at the first sign of him/her being awkward I am going to tell them to accept it as it is or bugger off .
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I do believe that RT did offer value for money to the whole chain at some point in the past and there seems to be a few who still think it does now.
Nobody should be under any illusion that it will in the future.
Their intentions have been made very clear through the proposed additions for this year and statements released about future plans.
Mass balance, carbon footprinting and a promise of ever higher standards all lead to higher costs and the transfer of vital data and carbon credits up the supply chain.
Indicating a desire to be involved in policing ELMS shows a business model based on being the administrator for a licence to farm and not an assurance monitor.
There is no benefit to the primary producer from RT and they have no intention of there being any in the future.
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
We had our lovely certificate and passport stickers arrive earlier in the week along with a letter from them blowing their own trumpet but the biggest annoyance for me was the patronising comment thanking me for choosing red tractor.I’ve no f**king option!
nick…
Such correspondence makes me feel like I have been assaulted and robbed and I am now supposed to be somehow grateful towards my assailants. Such letters of self praise and the photos of the excessively remunerated flashing wide grins really does make ones blood boil sometimes! 🤬
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.7%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 64 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.2%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 6 3.2%

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/
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