Why doesn’t the NFU press office take part onTFF?

Hilly

Member
I don't debate any of that, I'm simply suggesting why they might not come on here for a gutting.

Like I say, very few farmers are prepared to come on here to open themselves and their lives and jobs come under scrutiny so why would we expect them to volunteer to be gutted by a bunch of folks, most of whom don't even post under their own names.
Farmers come on here and talk farming and scrutinised everyday .
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
This is true and while it is a refreshing approach from DEFRA, sadly your assumption that they will do what they have already decided and make it look as if farmers are in favour.
I get the feeling that there is an element of desperation creeping in to those behind SFI as the take up is so small and Janet is the lead person on it and if it doesn't come up with meaningful data from a large enough cross section of farming then it will have failed.

But it will be the farmers fault as they didn't want the money!
One of the questions I filled in over the weekend was
"Are there preferred methods or times for payments to be made?"

Monthly is my favored option.

Defra are already shying away from that as unworkable
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
yep
I feel not listened to as an NFU member, which is as much my fault as theirs.
hence my post above
So did you attend any of the farming rules for water meetings?

Any of the elms meetings?

How many of the times they asked for input on the various consultations did you engage with defra or NFU or the TFA,NSA, etc?
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
Glad to see nothing has changed since I was a member some 20 years ago. They have done nothing to tempt me back into the fold.
is it going to ? those that hold positions to change anything got there using the systems of communication that are in place at the moment so they obviously get on well with them so why would they change to accommodate the likes of me ?
hence why I said its as much my fault as theirs
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
It was an "ask me anything " session.

It wasn't a " tell me how SFI could be changed or improved "

We have all seen how Defra consultations have gone so far this year,ask for industry opinions, then they do what they like
Animals transport
Farming rules for water
Etc etc.

At least they are involving farmers.

It could be said the NFU do exactly as they like also…..but don’t involve farmers/members, despite them paying to be represented.

RT assurance particularly springs to mind currently.
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
At least they are involving farmers.

It could be said the NFU do exactly as they like also…..but don’t involve farmers/members, despite them paying to be represented.

RT assurance particularly springs to mind currently.
NVZ webinar this week.
Call for evidence on food safety and animal welfare
Consultation on beaver reintroduction.
FRfW webinar.

That's 4 off the top of my head.
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
So did you attend any of the farming rules for water meetings?

Any of the elms meetings?

How many of the times they asked for input on the various consultations did you engage with defra or NFU or the TFA,NSA, etc?
I look at the meetings when the details come up but its not really my thing plus its time away, much more convenient [for me] to have an online forum type conversation that you can pick up or add to anytime over days/weeks.

I have done a couple consultations and meetings with various groups also had some input with our little TFF group which seems to work in my preferred way [as above]

The trouble I find with meetings is I always think of what I should have said on the way home, with an on line forum type meeting/conversation you can add to it whenever just as we do every day on here.

As I said before but will say again there is no reason why the NFU couldn't set up and run some sort of forum of their own apart from the fact they don't want to [see my response above to @MrNoo ]
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
That’s an interesting claim, would you care to explain?

we have between 32-40,000 unique visitors here every day, 85% of which are uk based - not all will be farmers but on a “farming forum” it would be fair to assume most might just be. Goggle and various other data sources back this up

TFF membership is over 50,000 but membership figures mean very little IMO - its engagement that matters and just like the nfu most of ourr members don’t engage regularly

how many FARMER members do the nfu have that actively participate vs our 30-40k every day ? the nfu average committee meeting is the same few dozen at best and maybe a couple thousand go to the agm ?

there is no barrier to expressing an opinion online, no membership fee, nowhere to travel to, no need to become an officers etc - everyone is equal and can represent themselves

Im not “anti” NFU but i am anti ineffective pee poor results, nepotism and even corruption from highly paid power crazed individuals
 

cb387

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cotswolds
i suspect i dont even exist in her world !
I think TFF is a thorn in the side for the NFU as it allows farmers to air views / air opinions like never before. Without it the only option would be to join the NFU and still be ignored. OK they still ignore TFF and do what they like but they must be aware that there is a growing feeling against many of their policies
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I think TFF is a thorn in the side for the NFU as it allows farmers to air views / air opinions like never before. Without it the only option would be to join the NFU and still be ignored. OK they still ignore TFF and do what they like but they must be aware that there is a growing feeling against many of their policies

it’s certainly getting a lot harder to get away with what has bern going on for decades in ag leadership

the directorship links and paid committee / board positions uncovered by various tff members questioning Red tractor /. AIC: NFU/ Vi / AHDB and various commercial companies with conflicting interests is a genuine scandal

free speech makes individuals accountable- that can only be a good thing
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I think TFF is a thorn in the side for the NFU as it allows farmers to air views / air opinions like never before. Without it the only option would be to join the NFU and still be ignored. OK they still ignore TFF and do what they like but they must be aware that there is a growing feeling against many of their policies

well they have always been conspicuous by there absence

I met head of NFU comms in the very early days of TFF offering to help them use TFF to improve their communication with farmers and membership (this was not in any way commercial btw)

He wasn’t interested, told me that such free speech / lack of rank would never work for them

Farmers Weekly management also used to very much dislike the forum as members were often very critical of it but these days even their editor posts on here !
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,291
  • 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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