Why the Hate for AD?

Genuine Question.. Why is there so much hate for AD? Especially from within the Agri community?

I'm involved in AD compliance and I do encounter quite a bit of hate about the whole AD industry.

All AD plants within the next few years over here in N.I will be operating under a waste management license and it's going to hit some of them like a train (possibly something for the anti-AD brigade to look forward to over here in N.I :p) especially the financial provision that's required for the waste management license. So it is going to change for all of them and they will have to evolve.

I fully understand and agree with that land growing feedstock for AD should not be receiving BPS, but I don't get the competition for land argument, it's a free market to the highest bidder.
 
Genuine Question.. Why is there so much hate for AD? Especially from within the Agri community?

I'm involved in AD compliance and I do encounter quite a bit of hate about the whole AD industry.

All AD plants within the next few years over here in N.I will be operating under a waste management license and it's going to hit some of them like a train (possibly something for the anti-AD brigade to look forward to over here in N.I :p) especially the financial provision that's required for the waste management license. So it is going to change for all of them and they will have to evolve.

I fully understand and agree with that land growing feedstock for AD should not be receiving BPS, but I don't get the competition for land argument, it's a free market to the highest bidder.
I have no issue with AD plants.
I'd sooner grow grass for an AD plant than grow malting barley for a shower of tossers who want to take the pi$$
 

Wellytrack

Member
No resentment of AD here.

However I’m far enough away from any so I’m being careful not to fall into the NIMBY trap, but many who do live beside them resent the smell, the constant traffic, being driven off tiny roads by poorly piloted tractors and land being overdosed with many very heavy applications of waste - often full of undesirable things like plastic particles.

That’s before we have even touched upon the more local and quite personal effects on smaller farms of losing 15 - 100 acre blocks of rented land, until they amalgamate into a 1500 - 2000 acre farm with those blocks scattered over a 20+ mile radius from its base.
The constant traffic and drawing of said materials in, and out certainly does seem to detract somewhat from the ‘Green Credentials’ of the whole affair.

Meanwhile the old long established family livestock farms, farmed by people who’s grandparents have been born, lived, worked and died on the same land that is now farmed as part of this venture cannot compete with the money that has pushed them out.

Nor do they carry enough clout to seek help for reinvestment from the bank, let alone access to proper investment avenues like a AD plant has..

However, as you say. It’s a free market.
 

Clive

Staff Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lichfield
I think it’s because in some areas it’s priced food production out of the land rental market

also late, wet, mauled harvests are not good PR, mud on roads and soil erosion / pollution. It highlights a lot of what’s wrong with farming environmentally

also somewhat of a mining operation ?

subsidy farming at its worst ? Proper milking of the tax payer / dole cheque farmer image ?

maybe perception more than reality but you did ask !
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
If AD was run entirely on white diesel, with trucks, and as the industrial process that it is, it probably wouldn’t get the same hate from farming.

It’s the fact that all these big tractors and trailers running around at high speed gives “genuine” farmers a bad name with those who think all tractors are all farmers that I think causes the issues.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
No resentment of AD here.

However I’m far enough away from any so I’m being careful not to fall into the NIMBY trap, but many who do live beside them resent the smell, the constant traffic, being driven off tiny roads by poorly piloted tractors and land being overdosed with many very heavy applications of waste - often full of undesirable things like plastic particles.

That’s before we have even touched upon the more local and quite personal effects on smaller farms of losing 15 - 100 acre blocks of rented land, until they amalgamate into a 1500 - 2000 acre farm with those blocks scattered over a 20+ mile radius from its base.
The constant traffic and drawing of said materials in, and out certainly does seem to detract somewhat from the ‘Green Credentials’ of the whole affair.

Meanwhile the old long established family livestock farms, farmed by people who’s grandparents have been born, lived, worked and died on the same land that is now farmed as part of this venture cannot compete with the money that has pushed them out.

Nor do they carry enough clout to seek help for reinvestment from the bank, let alone access to proper investment avenues like a AD plant has..

However, as you say. It’s a free market.

Absolutely this, summed up nicely by wellytrack.

A quick Google would suggest very few AD companies have much money - it sounds like there will be casualties ahead.
 

Robt

Member
Location
Suffolk
If AD was run entirely on white diesel, with trucks, and as the industrial process that it is, it probably wouldn’t get the same hate from farming.

It’s the fact that all these big tractors and trailers running around at high speed gives “genuine” farmers a bad name with those who think all tractors are all farmers that I think causes the issues.
In west Suffolk it is, a very very professional operator (OJ Neil) runs trucks to haul on road and tractors in field so it can be done. Oli wouldn’t do it if it didn’t make him money
 

Bongodog

Member
AD plants gobble up all available land, then turn up usually after a week of heavy rain to chop the maize, leaving a trail of devastation, understandably locals are rather upset at their streets resembling a WW1 battelfield and a constant stream of hired tractors and trailers driven by teenage imbeciles. 2 weeks ago every car in this street received a mudbath courtesy of drivers with a mobile phone clamped to their ear. Most villagers don't know the difference between the tractors and trailers of the local farmers and the AD boys so everyone gets tarred with the same brush. Its now been wet enough that fields will be full of waterlogged ruts until March or April.
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
No resentment of AD here.

However I’m far enough away from any so I’m being careful not to fall into the NIMBY trap, but many who do live beside them resent the smell, the constant traffic, being driven off tiny roads by poorly piloted tractors and land being overdosed with many very heavy applications of waste - often full of undesirable things like plastic particles.

That’s before we have even touched upon the more local and quite personal effects on smaller farms of losing 15 - 100 acre blocks of rented land, until they amalgamate into a 1500 - 2000 acre farm with those blocks scattered over a 20+ mile radius from its base.
The constant traffic and drawing of said materials in, and out certainly does seem to detract somewhat from the ‘Green Credentials’ of the whole affair.

Meanwhile the old long established family livestock farms, farmed by people who’s grandparents have been born, lived, worked and died on the same land that is now farmed as part of this venture cannot compete with the money that has pushed them out.

Nor do they carry enough clout to seek help for reinvestment from the bank, let alone access to proper investment avenues like a AD plant has..

However, as you say. It’s a free market.
Its not a free market at all, its lopsided by stupid subsidies
the french dont allow food products into ad plants. They got it Right
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
several around us, have stopped growing for them, an exception being Wyke farm, something to do with the speed, money changes hands. Read an article, on AD, that basically said, if you can't grow enough, on your own farm, you will struggle financially. The worse part, is agents saying, ' I can get £200/ac off the AD boys', when trying to negotiate rents ! Now, all i say, is best ring them up, and get the rent from them.
 
I think it’s because in some areas it’s priced food production out of the land rental market

also late, wet, mauled harvests are not good PR, mud on roads and soil erosion / pollution. It highlights a lot of what’s wrong with farming environmentally

also somewhat of a mining operation ?

subsidy farming at its worst ? Proper milking of the tax payer / dole cheque farmer image ?

maybe perception more than reality but you did ask !

Some have set the cowboy level to high, but this will change and evolve especially with the EA taking more of an interest in them.
Dirt on the road is a major no no if you have waste management licensing.
Do I fully agree with the silage and slurry only plants.. no I don’t, IMO they need to be utilising waste products, that’s we’re their future is
 

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Genuine Question.. Why is there so much hate for AD? Especially from within the Agri community?

I'm involved in AD compliance and I do encounter quite a bit of hate about the whole AD industry.

All AD plants within the next few years over here in N.I will be operating under a waste management license and it's going to hit some of them like a train (possibly something for the anti-AD brigade to look forward to over here in N.I :p) especially the financial provision that's required for the waste management license. So it is going to change for all of them and they will have to evolve.

I fully understand and agree with that land growing feedstock for AD should not be receiving BPS, but I don't get the competition for land argument, it's a free market to the highest bidder.
In NI the most of the flak for the AD plants comes from the dairy men, for a very long time now they were the biggest kids in the playground when it came to buying and renting good crop growing land. Times have changed and a lot of them have been pushed out of land blocks by AD plants causing them to rent further afield in marginal areas pushing out some suckler and sheep men and using the excuse of being forced by the AD industry to do this. This in turn gets the suckler and sheep farmers riled. Attitude to AD in NI is different to the mainland also because the most of the plants are grass silage based as opposed to maize and beet.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 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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