Sir
I suspect that the grain trade are finding it bureaucratic and time consuming to handle grain passports (say 400-500 for every 10,000 tons of grain depending on load size etc).
In my opinion they are not a legal document and guarantee nothing. The idea wherever it came from to get the HGCA to come up with this scheme to try to sell it to farmers as a great benefit is nonsensical where the farmers bear yet another cost and the grain trade reap the savings, and then AHDB can approach the government to ask for a levy increase because they are doing A B X Y and need more money for the work that they are doing and for their pension pot and the government will say yes as it is not coming out of their pocket.
The best way forward I see if any passport is required at all is when the growers signs a contract with whatever terms and conditions they want to agree, that is a legal document, that is when the merchant asks for the QUALITY ASSURANCE NO. and that should be enough. The merchant is responsible for the transport as they hire the trucks unless the farmer agrees to supply in the contract, the merchant can carry out any checks they wish and if they truly know their growers anyway as they should.
If any passport is needed at all then it should just be one for the contracted tonnage and there you have it, simple, inexpensive, far less bureaucratic – anyway most farmers give the lorry drivers a slip saying where the grain is from that is traceability.
How can we expect to argue with government about their red tape and bureaucracy if we can’t demonstrate how to sort out our own?
Farmers need to let their views be known through the NFU or any other organisation that has an influence
(even with a referendum, fashionable), unless you are happy about yet more levy increases for something that I see is really not needed.
Patrick Sleigh
West Fingask
Old Meldrum
Aberdeenshire
01651872259
Mob 07711838019
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