What should the NFU be doing?

[Treg]

This.
I had a NFU bigwig come into my yard looking for directions. I said I recognised you, your the NFU bigwig. I then sized my chance to ask him about the red tractor debacle and he just completely cut me off. I know I'm not a NFU member and he was on "other business" but the arrogant way he just brushed it all aside made me bloody ademant that the NFU doesn't give a shite about everyday farmers and that I will never be a member.

Don't take it personal, NFU meetings are the same
I asked about fighting the vegan propaganda & a woman from Cornwall wildlife Trust stood up and said yes we need to be standing up for livestock farms as they have alot of diversity for wildlife, we're happy to work with the NFU and go in to schools and teach the benefits of livestock farming , they didn't listen we have our own education department that are very capable

 

[delilah]

not heard of john royle before, i dont think ive missed much!

Quite. NFU chief livestock adviser since 2014, apparently. Will be very well known to the cartel. He doesn't work for you or me, he works for them.

why have we let it carry on so long?

Because we are muppets.

 

[Treg]

Quite. NFU chief livestock adviser since 2014, apparently. Will be very well known to the cartel. He doesn't work for you or me, he works for them.



Because we are muppets.

for first bit.
for second , country people tend to have different values and morals to other folk so I think we've just been to trusting of the people who are supposed represent us.

 

[delilah]

I think we've just been to trusting of the people who are supposed represent us.

100%. I have doorstepped NFU Presidents about their relationship with the cartel. I have invited myself to see the NFU head of marketing and been treated like a swivel eyed loon for saying we need to campaign for a reversal in the consolidation of the food chain. I have tried and tried to get the NFU to see that they have made a fundamental error in cosying up to the cartel. It has taken me years to understand that they don't have this relationship because they think it is tactically astute, but rather it is because they are owned and controlled by them. And farmers by and large haven't given a sh!t.

 

[Treg]

Very true,unfortunately with their voting system the "yes men" get elected.I firmly believe the corporate members are very strong and influence decisions to the detriment of their core farmers.You can't be a panacea to all,the money ultimately does the talking.
I remember in the good old days of the NFU where they would fight for a better deal with the Supermarkets. These Supermarkets are now,I believe, corporate members of the NFU.I think the BFU is a result of the frustration farmers feel and how poorly their so called union represent them.
The BFU may not succeed but at this moment in time they are gaining momentum,quite quickly too.

There are many battles for the BFU to take on , mainly because so many things have been left.
My personal one is tackling those companies that seek to control us Monsanto/ Bayer , we take them on & the public will back British Farmers, whether BFU would survive that Battle or come out even stronger who knows but it would be worth it.

 

[Vader]

Please define one "man" bands.
Also that is very sexist and not a welcome comment.

Really...?
You gone woke now?
Its a saying and everyone normal knows that and does not mind it.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Nfu is only as good as it’s members by walking away it’s one less sensibly voice by sounds of things
It’s difficult to change its direction from the outside but lots of us are trying from the inside
If your not happy you should have got involved and got your hands dirty

How's that going so far?

From what I see it's the party line and the party line only, which appears to be dictated by the corporate membership.

Change from within? Look at Tom Bradshaw, obviously a very successful farmer and can string a sentence together. He's on the board of red tractor!!! And he's supposed to be representing farmers. I thought he was an independent sort of a bloke.

You just could not make it up.

 

[Treg]

100%. I have doorstepped NFU Presidents about their relationship with the cartel. I have invited myself to see the NFU head of marketing and been treated like a swivel eyed loon for saying we need to campaign for a reversal in the consolidation of the food chain. I have tried and tried to get the NFU to see that they have made a fundamental error in cosying up to the cartel. It has taken me years to understand that they don't have this relationship because they think it is tactically astute, but rather it is because they are owned and controlled by them. And farmers by and large haven't given a sh!t.

I think maybe originally it was done for the right reasons but now the monster is out of control.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Because we are muppets.

Interesting thought but which muppet would we as individuals be similar to ??

I actually think Kermit is me (most of the time )

Lol.

 

[Treg]

How's that going so far?

From what I see it's the party line and the party line only, which appears to be dictated by the corporate membership.

Change from within? Look at Tom Bradshaw, obviously a very successful farmer and can string a sentence together. He's on the board of red tractor!!! And he's supposed to be representing farmers. I thought he was an independent sort of a bloke.

You just could not make it up.

It's not working but because the NFU now has so much money invested in these schemes and corporate companies what else can they do without damaging themselves.
It's now gone to far and farmers will revolt , the NFU may struggle to survive.

 

[Treg]

Interesting thought but which muppet would we as individuals be similar to ??

I actually think Kermit is me (most of the time )

Lol.

I think the majority of us would be the grumpy old men & have a moan after each performance.
I'm definitely one of them

 

[Bury the Trash]

A brief moment of levity (i didnt start it )

example here

kermits full talent not fully made aware of (initially anyway) and if you can draw your eyes away from the lovely Debbie and the earnest 'Kermmie ' ( quote miss piggy ) .......then, take particular note of the backing singers /chorus and the roll they play

 

[Sid]

Really...?
You gone woke now?
Its a saying and everyone normal knows that and does not mind it.

Like Chairman, dustman, etc. It breeds discrimination.
Definitely not woke but the attitude of a minority of male farmers leaves alot to be desired!!
It does not encourage other genders , what ever they may be to engage with agriculture. They are all our customers.

 

[Two Tone]

I’d like to know what percentage of all the farmers the NFU actually represents?
It has got to be well less than half!

I went to a debate shortly after Brexit happened. Meurig Raymond couldn’t believe that it had happened!
Let alone that any farmers had voted for it.
He gave the impression that the NFU is extremely ‘Pally’ with the Tory party, believing that Phillip Hammond had his Ear.

I had to point out to him that it was the Conservative Party that caused Brexit in the first place by coming 3rd (Not even 2nd!) in the 2014 European Elections, with UKIP winning it!
The only way it could steal those votes back was by offering a simple In/Out referendum, obviously expecting Remain to win.
It was like Meurig hadn’t even considered this and a huge penny dropping in his brain!

Then of course, I had all the NFU Mafia, homing in on me like bees to a honeypot, trying to persuade me to become a Member (again).
They did themselves absolutely no favours that evening and were yet again told “No” and why!

Then Minette takes over with a policy of actually agreeing that there is a problem with anything the Media or Government comes up with, saying she will look into it, without ever denying or countering that any such problem exists!

The only intelligence they seem to have is knowing exactly how to climb that greasy pole to the top.
They couldn’t organise a pee-up in a brewery.

 

[Two Tone]

NFU the voice of British farming?
It certainly isn’t mine! Nor most others that I know of.

The first thing it needs to do is to listen and understand what us farmers (and only us farmers) are talking about, rather than justifying its own wrong decisions and party lines.

Secondly, it needs to learn to stop coming over as so Patronising!

 

[Raider112]

Please define one "man" bands.
Also that is very sexist and not a welcome comment.

I know plenty who get involved in a whole heap of different discussions.
From students to one man bands to owners of large businesses

I can't believe you just wrote that!

 

[MrNoo]

Like Chairman, dustman, etc. It breeds discrimination.
Definitely not woke but the attitude of a minority of male farmers leaves alot to be desired!!
It does not encourage other genders , what ever they may be to engage with agriculture. They are all our customers.

One man band is a term, an expression used since year dot. Get over it, if it offends you then maybe best go and do something constructive with your time???

 

[7610 super q]

Really...?
You gone woke now?
Its a saying and everyone normal knows that and does not mind it.

The irony is, he uses the phase himself in the next sentence........

 

[devonbeef]

This.
I had a NFU bigwig come into my yard looking for directions. I said I recognised you, your the NFU bigwig. I then sized my chance to ask him about the red tractor debacle and he just completely cut me off. I know I'm not a NFU member and he was on "other business" but the arrogant way he just brushed it all aside made me bloody ademant that the NFU doesn't give a shite about everyday farmers and that I will never be a member.

I hope you sent him on a wild goose chase with your directions

 

[devonbeef]

one of the things most pee me off with batters and her crew is creating the idea that farming can and should be net zero , i think its 2040. Firstly i think we can do i best to lower are footprint, but promise net zero is a noose around our neck.We need somebody to stand up to this country and its people and say that needs to be said, WITHOUT FOOD in your tummy your going nowhere ,everything follows AFTERWARDS.