NBA seeks farmer views on whole-life assurance for livestock

Farmers are being urged to take part in a National Beef Association survey on Red Tractor’s plan to introduce mandatory whole life assurance for beef.

The Red Tractor wants to do away with existing rules which stipulate that beef cattle need only spend 90 days before slaughter on an assured holding to qualify for its scheme.

Instead it has proposed a register and scheme to recruit enough beef rearers into assurance to supply the already assured Red Tractor finishers further up the chain.

See also: The big beef debate: Arguments for and against Red Tractor lifetime assurance

But the move has caused anger and concern and the NBA survey was launched on 6 March to give farmers a chance to have their say.

NBA chief executive Chris Mallon urged farmers not to miss the opportunity.

“This is a one-off opportunity for all British beef farmers to have their say in the outcome for the proposal for “Whole Life Assurance”, and we are encouraging as many as possible to take the survey and influence the outcome. 

“Anyone is welcome to give their views, not just members of the NBA,” he added.

Much of the anger vented so far has been during a series of Red Tractor organised meetings on the issue across the country.

Speaking at the first meeting in Devon last month Bill Harper of the NBA said Red Tractor had gone “over the top”.

“Red tractor estimates there are 14,000-16,000 store and suckler producers that aren’t assured. It’s reasonable to estimate the cost to our industry will be £23m,” he said

John Hoskins former Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year who sits on Red Tractor beef and lamb board said he was also against the scheme.

“If you don’t have finishers on board it won’t go anywhere. I’ve had four finishers on the phone from across the country, who between them finish 24,000 cattle annually, and none of them are in favour of the scheme one bit.”

Mr Hoskins said if lifetime assurance went ahead then beef supply would become limited and some smaller abattoirs would not survive.

“If you restrict us buying non-assured cattle, there will be no finishers,” he warned.

 But John Dracup of meat processor St Merryn told the meeting that other countries were already operating lifetime assurance, with “Project Green” in Ireland not only offering lifetime assurance, but also carbon footprinting. He also said Scotch Beef was all lifetime assured.

Mr Dracup added: “We need, as an industry, to be able to move on, catch up and be able to compete, and we need to be able to compete on our terms.”

The NBA’s “Big Farm Survey” is available for completion until Thursday 20 March.

The survey can be completed on the NBA’s website. Paper copies are available from: NBA Head Office, Mart Centre, Tyne Green, Hexham NE46 3SG.