Why will the AIC not confirm what tests are done on imported grain?

[Chris F]

This is the most ridiculous situation I see currently in farming. Red Tractor and Jim Moseley tell us that the mills prefer imported grain because of the "extensive testing", but no one will say what these tests are. If jim doesn't know then what he said will go down as one of the most idiotic things on record. However, Red Tractor claim they don't know when asked.

We have also asked AIC, Mills, and end users. No one seems to know the answer. AIC always pass the buck to the end user, but when you ask the end user they say it just comes with a certificate to say its been tested and they don't know the actual tests.

Someone has to be lying. AIC have to know the answer regardless if they set the rules or not. So question is why not just answer the question, unless its that embarrassing for instance:

That they only test 1kg from a 20,000 or 200,000 kg shipment or
Some bloke looks at in and says "that'll do"

What have the AIC got to hide or protect?

Please add your conspiracy theories below.....

 

[robs1]

No conspiracy, just the money, its always the money

 

[B R C]

It is absolutely unbelievable that we do not know what these ‘tests’ are. If they exist then some one must be asking for the results, does the end user really not know what the tests are. It’s an insult to the UK producers. I have resigned my membership of the NFU today and shall not rejoin until at least Red Tractor puts us at a competitive advantage over imports rather than a disadvantage or until I don’t need to be assured to sell feed grains.
I also suspect there is going to be a right s**tstorm when we find out and it’s only a matter of time, keep the pressure up everyone. Red Tractor on borrowed time.

 

[Turnip]

So does anyone have access to one of these certificates that claim it has been tested? If so can they post one here as a clue in this quest for the truth?

 

[Grass And Grain]

It is absolutely unbelievable that we do not know what these ‘tests’ are. If they exist then some one must be asking for the results, does the end user really not know what the tests are. It’s an insult to the UK producers. I have resigned my membership of the NFU today and shall not rejoin until at least Red Tractor puts us at a competitive advantage over imports rather than a disadvantage or until I don’t need to be assured to sell feed grains.
I also suspect there is going to be a right s**tstorm when we find out and it’s only a matter of time, keep the pressure up everyone. Red Tractor on borrowed time.

Article in FW on Friday about proposed new assurance standard for UK grain, to mirror imports.

As for the tests, the shippers can choose which tests they do. Or choose a pesticide declaration. Nothing wrong with that, but we want the same rules.

Well done resigning your NFU membership. NFU have supported this situation, and they part own RT afaik.

I think NFU and AHDB will get hurt by all this (they will lose support of farmers) if they don't get some change.

 

[B R C]

How reliant are the NFU on membership monies? I know they get rather a large rental income from their London property….

 

[Steevo]

Anyone can access the "Red Tractor Cereal Standards" for UK.

As above though it does seem that there isn't an agreed/certified standard for imported cereals.

As @Grass And Grain says, the same rules should apply to both. There's no hope in getting the whole world to change to match UK.....so maybe we should be able to compete on a global level with the global standard for imports.

 

[Steevo]

How reliant are the NFU on membership monies? I know they get rather a large rental income from their London property….

Maybe....but without members to represent, do they even need a President, Deputy President etc.?

 

[Vader]

Maybe....but without members to represent, do they even need a President, Deputy President etc.?

Which is why we all need to switch to our own union/group.
If nfu have less members than an alternative group, then they no longer the mouth piece for farming.

 

[tullah]

Maybe....but without members to represent, do they even need a President, Deputy President etc.?

They will still have to look the part in their make believe world

 

[farmerm]

Short of some random surveillance testing by the food standards agency, little to no testing takes place on imported grain beyond the same physical spec as domestic grains would, ie moisture, protein, specfic weight, hagberg... I am sure of it. Any testing will be based on some risk matrix and self declarations by the supplier loading the boat. The decision to certify imported grains without testing or when and what to test for lies squarely in the hands of the same Gatekeeper businesses who have to pay for the testing and also bear the consequences should a consignment fail... too much testing is very bad for business!

Any business that is given "Gatekeeper" certification "takes on the burden of risk assessment"...

Would AIC care to open up and produce a list of all the companies that have been granted Gatekeeper certification and furthermore would they also provide us with a list of Gatekeepers that have failed to keep to the required standards and been struck off?

Perhaps assured grain should be considered as fit unless proven overwise whilst every lorry of imported non assured grain should be considered as unfit until proven otherwise....

FEMAS Sector Note 16 - Gatekeeping

www.agindustries.org.uk

 

[Steevo]

Short of some random surveillance testing by the food standards agency, little to no testing takes place on imported grain beyond the same physical spec as domestic grains would, ie moisture, protein, specfic weight, hagberg... I am sure of it. Any testing will be based on some risk matrix and self declarations by the supplier loading the boat. The decision to certify imported grains without testing or when and what to test for lies squarely in the hands of the same Gatekeeper businesses who have to pay for the testing and also bear the consequences should a consignment fail... too much testing is very bad for business!

Any business that is given "Gatekeeper" certification "takes on the burden of risk assessment"...

Would AIC care to open up and produce a list of all the companies that have been granted Gatekeeper certification and furthermore would they also provide us with a list of Gatekeepers that have failed to keep to the required standards and been struck off?

Perhaps assured grain should be considered as fit unless proven overwise whilst every lorry of imported non assured grain should be considered as unfit until proven otherwise....


View attachment 987050

FEMAS Sector Note 16 - Gatekeeping

www.agindustries.org.uk

It’s crazy that that they can effectively give their own members the ability to step around the rules that they themselves insist on.

Fox in charge of the hen house..?!

 

[Grass And Grain]

It’s crazy that that they can effectively give their own members the ability to step around the rules that they themselves insist on.

Fox in charge of the hen house..?!

I hadn't thought of it like that. Give easy rules to the trade, but a completely different set of rules for the farmers to follow, at extra cost to the farmers.

 

[Flatlander]

The uk take wheat from Canada and to be honest the testing isn’t that stringent . Moisture bushel weight. Protein
ergot levels are Set by the grain commission and a sample taken from every load is sealed and saved so if any dispute the sample is available. No one that I know has any special assurances or hoops to jump thru. We sign to say what category our wheat will fall into. And variety. Then it’s unloaded and payed for. No waiting for 30 days .

 

[teslacoils]

Presumably many of the companies represented on their board are gatekeepers?

 

[Flatlander]

Presumably many of the companies represented on their board are gatekeepers?

I’d assume they would buy/sell to end user spec. grain elavators here won’t store for longer that a month before a train gets loaded and off to the port. More oilseeds are processed locally that ten years ago and prices have strengthened because of the reduced freight costs.

 

[Steevo]

Presumably many of the companies represented on their board are gatekeepers?

Precisely!

Imagine if the people on the board for the National Lottery were also allowed to enter…..

 

[wanton dwarf]

What have the AIC got to hide or protect?

Why not try asking a laboratory if they can test for UK banned pesticides ?

All you need then is a sample from a Grain shipment, which I am sure you might "Find" in a lorry trailer that just so happens to be on a UK farm.

 

[wanton dwarf]

The uk take wheat from Canada and to be honest the testing isn’t that stringent . Moisture bushel weight. Protein
ergot levels are Set by the grain commission and a sample taken from every load is sealed and saved so if any dispute the sample is available. No one that I know has any special assurances or hoops to jump thru. We sign to say what category our wheat will fall into. And variety. Then it’s unloaded and payed for. No waiting for 30 days .

Canada uses pesticides banned in the UK.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I think the main reason is because there aren't many tests done on imported grain beyond specification tests.

The AIC don't need to answer because essentially they are and want to continue to be a faceless organisation - its absolutely in their interest to act like this because they don't need the scrutiny then.

We know they're all lying really. And if not actively lying then more than happy to not care because there is nothing in it for them to care about - its just a job and money. They don't actually give a toss either way.