Bord Bia Standard

Cardinal Richelieu

OK when I go into the local supermarket and check out the produce dept or the Meat Aisle I am bombarded with products with the Bord Bia Quality Standard Symbol these days. So what I want to know is how good it is? What random checks do Bord Bia do to ensure the farmers and food producers comply?

johngalway

http://www.bordbia.ie/industryservices/quality/pages/beef.aspx

Various scheme standards are found in .pdf files bottom right of that page.

rancher

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

OK when I go into the local supermarket and check out the produce dept or the Meat Aisle I am bombarded with products with the Bord Bia Quality Standard Symbol these days. So what I want to know is how good it is? What random checks do Bord Bia do to ensure the farmers and food producers comply?

Had one just last week, very strict inspection,usually happens every year with only a few hours notice and it's getting harder to comply every year.
I have to be quality assured to be a member of the local lamb producer group

whelan1

had ours yesterday... paperwork, walk of the yard, check medical store, rat bait points, safety statement.... medical records, knackery dockets... crush.... amount of sheds etc................ did the 2 herds in 2 hours

Cardinal Richelieu

whelan1 wrote: »

had ours yesterday... paperwork, walk of the yard, check medical store, rat bait points, safety statement.... medical records, knackery dockets... crush.... amount of sheds etc................ did the 2 herds in 2 hours

But don't you as a food producer and employer already have to have most of that in place by Law?

Tora Bora

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

OK when I go into the local supermarket and check out the produce dept or the Meat Aisle I am bombarded with products with the Bord Bia Quality Standard Symbol these days. So what I want to know is how good it is? What random checks do Bord Bia do to ensure the farmers and food producers comply?

On the same aisles, you will see plenty products without tracability labels.
Much of it sourced in South America. Brazil and Argentina.
You should also educate yourself, on standards and tracability of meat produced in those countries. It makes for interesting reading

Cardinal Richelieu

Tora Bora wrote: »

On the same aisles, you will see plenty products without tracability labels.
Much of it sourced in South America. Brazil and Argentina.
You should also educate yourself, on standards and tracability of meat produced in those countries. It makes for interesting reading

Can you not report that? Is that not illegal?

whelan1

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

But don't you as a food producer and employer already have to have most of that in place by Law?

in my honest opinion its jobs for the boys!

Atilathehun

whelan1 wrote: »

in my honest opinion its jobs for the boys!

Croke Park agreement :cool:

chickenfarmer

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Can you not report that? Is that not illegal?

Last time I asked this question in relation to poultry I was told that most of the Thai and Vietnamese chicken is coming into Ireland through Holland. Therefore it was coming in as European produce. They may go through some level of processing there. As its through Europe they can't be stopped. There is no traceability on the chicken. No regulation there as to what they are fed. Meat and bone meal is still allowed and anti-biotics are fed ad-lib almost. Chicken is therefore produced more cheaply there than here. (meat and bone meal is a very cheap source of protein.)

The Bord Bia label on chickens therefore guarantees you the highest possible standard of chicken you can buy. One thing to watch out for. Make sure that the Irish flag under the bord bia symbol is a full flag i.e. green, white and gold. If it is only green and white then it is coming from the North and England but processed in the North.

rancher

whelan1 wrote: »

in my honest opinion its jobs for the boys!

Thats very poor form, I don't know about milk but quality assured lamb is now being sought after by supermarkets. In a few sentences you have reinforced the doubt that a person has expressed here about the quality assured mark. Never forget this is the WORLDWIDE web.

whelan1

in the last 6 months i have sent 1 cull cow to the factory, explain to me why when i am fully cross compliant that i have to repeat all my work to a bord bia person.... seriously its a total joke maybe for big lamb producers or beef people but there was no need for abord bia ispection here in my book

grumpyfarmer

rancher wrote: »

whelan1 wrote: »

in my honest opinion its jobs for the boys!

Thats very poor form, I don't know about milk but quality assured lamb is now being sought after by supermarkets. In a few sentences you have reinforced the doubt that a person has expressed here about the quality assured mark. Never forget this is the WORLDWIDE web.

I'm afraid I'm with whelan1 on this one, we stopped finishing cattle 6 years ago and uped to all dairy, only killing culls and I still have the note bia inspection every 12-18 mths. Always bring up about what's the point of me doing it and always get told sure you may as well, its no bother for you to pass it and it keeps numbers up... and what makes a complete mockery of it is that the inspector has to sit down every time to look for some where to take marks off us cos a perfect score wouldn't look right... bull***t....

rancher

whelan1 wrote: »

in the last 6 months i have sent 1 cull cow to the factory, explain to me why when i am fully cross compliant that i have to repeat all my work to a bord bia person.... seriously its a total joke maybe for big lamb producers or beef people but there was no need for abord bia ispection here in my book

why do you want to be quality assured anyway? why not get out of it ? it's not compulsory....we're trying to increase our QA bonus and now dairy farmers undermining it, I take pride in my farming and the fact that I'm QA. When quotas go, you will learn that it's not simple with real competition, not only in the markets, but from other farmers who jump into your sector and mess it up, quality assurance means that the messers are precluded from the good markets.

whelan1

rancher wrote: »

why do you want to be quality assured anyway? why not get out of it ? it's not compulsory....we're trying to increase our QA bonus and now dairy farmers undermining it, I take pride in my farming and the fact that I'm QA. When quotas go, you will learn that it's not simple with real competition, not only in the markets, but from other farmers who jump into your sector and mess it up, quality assurance means that the messers are precluded from the good markets.

i said to the inspector before he started why am i doing this , he said sure i'm here now... so my inspection was for 1 bockety 12 year old cull cow.... seems a waste to me .... i stated my case that all calves that are not for breeding are gone off my farm at 2 weeks of age and that all i had was 1 cull to the factory... thats just my point of view and i fully respect the bord bia sign on any food i buy

bob charles

rancher wrote: »

why do you want to be quality assured anyway? why not get out of it ? it's not compulsory....we're trying to increase our QA bonus and now dairy farmers undermining it, I take pride in my farming and the fact that I'm QA. When quotas go, you will learn that it's not simple with real competition, not only in the markets, but from other farmers who jump into your sector and mess it up, quality assurance means that the messers are precluded from the good markets.

As a farmer QA, I find that the criteria should be much higher as at the moment its a box ticking exercise and failures are few and far between. If everyone passes then there isnt much need for the standard in the first place.

whelan1

the lad that was with me had only 1 sheet of paper, everything was done on his phone..... i even signed my signature on his phone.... he took a picture of the page he left with me

grumpyfarmer

I've the highest respect for the qa mark too which is why I always look to get out of it because 5here is no need me being in it, I ever point out that there are beef farmers around me not in it and why would the inspector go talk to them to encourage them into it... its just dupicating our inspection work for no other reason than the inspectors want a handy number... as for that dairy farmers will know what its like selling on an open market when quotas go?? We have being doing that for years, the quota is a cap on production and not price related, I.e. basic superlevy charge is 28.7c/liter regardless if milk price is an avg of 39c as in this year or 23c a liter as in 2009

rancher

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

I've the highest respect for the qa mark too which is why I always look to get out of it because 5here is no need me being in it, I ever point out that there are beef farmers around me not in it and why would the inspector go talk to them to encourage them into it... its just dupicating our inspection work for no other reason than the inspectors want a handy number... as for that dairy farmers will know what its like selling on an open market when quotas go?? We have being doing that for years, the quota is a cap on production and not price related, I.e. basic superlevy charge is 28.7c/liter regardless if milk price is an avg of 39c as in this year or 23c a liter as in 2009

Is that not the point, QA is 100% inspections, cross compliance is 3 or 4% a lot of farmers are cross compliant because they haven't been inspected in 10years, how can you put a quality symbol on their product,

grumpyfarmer

rancher wrote: »

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

I've the highest respect for the qa mark too which is why I always look to get out of it because 5here is no need me being in it, I ever point out that there are beef farmers around me not in it and why would the inspector go talk to them to encourage them into it... its just dupicating our inspection work for no other reason than the inspectors want a handy number... as for that dairy farmers will know what its like selling on an open market when quotas go?? We have being doing that for years, the quota is a cap on production and not price related, I.e. basic superlevy charge is 28.7c/liter regardless if milk price is an avg of 39c as in this year or 23c a liter as in 2009

Is that not the point, QA is 100% inspections, cross compliance is 3 or 4% a lot of farmers are cross compliant because they haven't been inspected in 10years, how can you put a quality symbol on their product,

I thought the debate was why inspect farmers that aren't supplying finished. Cattle, or sheep for that matter to the factorys surely it should be 100% of beef finishing farms inspected and not ones that aren't in the industry...

rancher

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

I thought the debate was why inspect farmers that aren't supplying finished. Cattle, or sheep for that matter to the factorys surely it should be 100% of beef finishing farms inspected and not ones that aren't in the industry...

Is it compulsory to be in the scheme, I thought it wasn't

grumpyfarmer

It's not but like I said in an earlier post every time I look to get out of it they just say we may as well do it anyways cos we'll pass no bother and it keeps numbers up...

rancher

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

It's not but like I said in an earlier post every time I look to get out of it they just say we may as well do it anyways cos we'll pass no bother and it keeps numbers up...

simple so, if you don't want inspections, withdraw from the scheme.

island of tighe

i was inspected last week.they are very strict on remidies and herd register,knackery dockets,feed dockets etc.they took a good root around the medicine cabinet.if you have any out of date cans or bottles have them gone before they come.i passed
good few lads around here have failed because they are spreading biofert on stubble ground.this is a total no no with bord bia

whelan1

other things they want are, sharps box for all used needles... map of all bait points and when refilled, safety statement.....

bob charles

island of tighe wrote: »

good few lads around here have failed because they are spreading biofert on stubble ground.this is a total no no with bord bia

I can buy grain that was grown using bio solids but I cant use grain that I grow myself using bio solids to be complient

Cardinal Richelieu

Does anyone know anyone that ever failed the standard? And failed the repeat?

rancher

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Does anyone know anyone that ever failed the standard? And failed the repeat?

I know farmers who haven't passed, but not all farmers apply to be QA.
A farmer would be foolish to apply if he wasn't confident he'd pass.