AIC discusses gatekeeper for Uk grain

[Dave645]

this is what they want to avoid if RT dies a death.
I note at no point was how the farmer was to recoup costs mentioned.
No old pony about premiums now. They know this because the anti competitive statment at the start

I am sure they may grab on to the Co-op style system for the uk.

 

[farmerm]

View attachment 1178855

This isn't for feed grains. It's bizarre really, it's for non-feed grains.

It comes from the EFISC-GTP document covering their trade assurance scheme which is the scheme of choice of many shippers/merchants exporting to the UK.

It means these imports can be classed as assured and then get mutual recognition by TASCC when the UK merchant picks it up from the docks and delivers to our mills.

The table and first footnote under the table explain how ex-farm grain can skip the expensive Gatekeeper lab tests. All that needs to happen is that the destination mill needs to have a sampling spear and then choose to do their own lab testa on it, which could be moisture, bushel, protein, hagberg, bugs, foreign objects and maybe mycotoxins

There is little evidence the expensive lab tests are done very often… testing is on a “risk based” methodology and the risk is determined by the company who has to pay for the tests and who has to deal with the potentially substantial headache if a consignment fails…

 

[SilliamWhale]

There is little evidence the expensive lab tests are done very often… testing is on a “risk based” methodology and the risk is determined by the company who has to pay for the tests and who has to deal with the potentially substantial headache if a consignment fails…

Exactly. Ask you feed supplier to trace one for you for the batch of cake you buy

 

[Kingcj]

If their so keen to keep rt maybe we should facilitate this? Oh and also demand that imports are farm assured to the same standard, not merchant assured. Level playing field and all that.
Basically no imports meet these standards so no imports. Don't think they would be quite so keen on rt then.

 

[graham mc]

There is little evidence the expensive lab tests are done very often… testing is on a “risk based” methodology and the risk is determined by the company who has to pay for the tests and who has to deal with the potentially substantial headache if a consignment fails…

you would think with the uk rules the risk would be a lot lower than a load of imported gear

 

[slackjawedyokel]

I don't think they'll want to allow us to blend samples from 60 neighbouring farms and send in one sample. But they should do, because that's what happens on a boat.

I’m not sure I would particularly want my (small quantity) of grain mixed with a load of others before being tested.
Obviously we have fairly stringent rules here on the range of PPPs we have available to us and their supply and use is tightly controlled BUT it’s still open to abuse (and always will be).
Eg a few years ago we were subjected to an extra snap inspection because a processor had sent a sample of organic oats away for analysis and found traces of something that should not have been there (straw shortener or something). We were one of the farms that contributed to the bulk sample.

I guess if AIC want to shore up RT, they will insist (we pay for) every possible test under the sun, then will condemn loads for any and every irregularity.

We don’t know what bulk loads of grain are tested for? My guess is the absolute bare minimum (milling quality, moisture etc). If farmers here occasionally get up to things they ought not to with PPPs, I’d be willing to bet it happens much, much more ‘elsewhere’, where controls on PPPs are lax in comparison.