It was apt to have my quality assurance inspection this week when the assurance review survey is out. I recently filled in the form, with the inspection fresh in my mind. 

Unfortunately, I found the simple survey most frustrating as it gives little option to quantify your reasoning with lack of explanation boxes.

I can’t see how they differentiate opinions according to farm type – for example, cereal or red meat – as they all get lumped together at the start: “tick all that apply”.

See also: Assurance review survey at risk of fraud and skewing data

About the author

Richard Orr

Richard Orr farms cereals and potatoes in a reduced cultivation system in County Down, Northern Ireland, with his wife and two children. He is a cereals and oilseeds sector council member and focuses on soil and plant health. He also keeps a small number of cattle, pigs and sheep.

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You have to be willing to detail out and really fill the end comments boxes to get any message across. I fear it will be a muddled message.

I’m a supporter of the “correct” assurance and it should be a great way to confidently assure our consumers our food is safe.

However, when the supermarket doesn’t display the logos, how does the consumer know anything about it?

My inspection went smoothly and the person conducting it was easy to deal with (which hasn’t always been the case).

Some inspectors approach it with a requirement to dissect your business until they find something to write in the non-conformance box and that leads to poor relationships and stressed farmers. 

However, when you have to redraw the farm map on the white board, I have difficulty understanding how this is in any way related to food safety.

I think this is where a lot of frustration starts. I find it strange how everyone else working with food needs a basic food hygiene certificate, yet farmers don’t?

But our assurance includes loads of health and safety, with no link back food to safety, never mind carbon (again, not related to food safety or quality). 

Anyway, harvest is drawing near. The first few days in August should see winter oats ready for combining.

The crop looks to have good panicles and is 100% standing for the first time ever. Some neighbours have started winter barley with a huge mixed bag of yields, from very poor to excellent. 

The lack of sunshine gives me a bit of concern over bushel weights.

The wheats are still lovely and green, and if we get three weeks of sun, we could have some good yields.

Test strips of molasses applied at 5l/ha at the start of July have shown positive results to prolonged greening.

Given that 25% of yield comes from the ear, I applied a T4 fungicide due to the high disease pressure and added foliar potash.