| Back
to SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage
Inappropriate response by The Scottish Farmer
regarding the attempt by NBA to resolve
the dispute with splinter group SBCA
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie,
Perthshire
Filed 16 Jun 07
©www.land-care.org.uk
The front page of today's The Scottish Farmer,
June 16th, carries two articles: one good and the other unhelpful.
The good article describes, both graphically and
in text, the strong efforts NFU Scotland is making to encourage
Scots to eat food produced in their own country. Their campaign
is called "What's on your plate?" They present a united
front, with a happy bunch of Board Members tucking in with relish
to a substantial sample of a home grown product.
But the big headline on the same front page is
"Beef wars", with an article by Gordon Davidson. This
piece of journalism was disappointing. It smacked of trying to inflame
a damaging situation in order to achieve an article what might score
for short term sensational impact.
The "Beef wars" article was based on
the recent National Beef Association (NBA) agm (1).
The NBA is a UK organisation with equitable representation from
different regions throughout the UK, including the Scottish Region.
NBA Scotland has the facility to get its views across to both the
Westminster and the Holyrood Parliaments, and beyond. Moreover,
The NBA is registered as a Charitable Trust and as such its accounts
must be transparent. Just what else could the NBA do but to publicly
provide its audited accounts in some detail, especially when concerns
persisted as to where some of their members subscriptions had gone.
Brushing such problems under the carpet is hardly an option.
It was a cheap trick by Gordon Davidson, and an
error of judgement by his editor, that the NBA's presentation of
its audited accounts should be interpreted as "The battle resumed
between Scotland's rival beef industry bodies", with comments
such as
"with a further twist of the knife",
and
"In case this salvo wasn't quite enough"
etc.
In looking for the other side of the story, The
Scottish Farmer approached Keith Redpath: he who was ousted with
good reason from the Board of the NBA (2).
Surely it would have been more appropriate to have sought the comments
of the Scottish Beef Cattle Association (SBCA) Treasurer, Pat Lambert,
or of its Chairman, Jim Kennedy. Mr Redpath is listed as a Technical
Director (3).
Redpath's response to The Scottish Farmer was
limited to
"he wanted to say absolutely nothing"
"the issue of the frozen Scottish NBA bank
account was an old sore point between the two bodies with the
SCBA refusing to release it till the NBA paid back a disputed
loan"
"the allegation that the Scottish NBA was
responsible for a disproportionate amount of the NBA's reported
2005 loss 'as a load of crap'"
What was surely wanted was an audited statement
of the finances as reported by the SBCA. Allegedly, and perhaps
significantly, this has not been made available. May be it does
not exist. They have certainly now had more than long enough to
produce it.
A further disappointing aspect of Gordon Davidson's
article was his apparent attempt to make a big issue about whether
the imports of Brazilian beef were a greater or lesser threat than
those from Eire. By and large the two organisations have similar
approaches to the problems that all too obviously face Scottish
beef farmers.
One of the issues which should be to the forefront
for both organisations in promoting the image of the Scottish beef
industry with its customers (the public), is the importance of transparency
of information. Thereby trust can be engendered. It is that same
openness that the beef industry wants the retail sector to display.
At its recent agm the NBA could not be faulted
for presenting, in a highly transparent manner with the help of
its accountants, just what the financial situation is. Moreover,
it openly replied to allegations as to its managerial competence.
What is very disappointing is that the splinter group, who made
the allegations and who are allegedly withholding essential financial
information, have apparently not done likewise.
The front page of today's The Scottish Farmer
does that publication little credit. The good work of the NFUS in
trying to promote the products of Scottish farms, was countered
by a petty piece taking the main headline "Beef wars".
It is not beef war within the industry that is wanted, but beef
harmony.
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. Irvine, James (2007). NBA’s
management vindicated by its 2006 accounts: the need for unity at
this time of adversity
See SOCIAL/ ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage, filed 13 Jun 07,
www.land-care.org.uk Click
Here to View
2. Irvine, James (2006) The regrettable
actions of the Executive of the Scottish Beef Council towards the
National Beef Association
See SOCIAL/ ECONOMIC/POLITICAL Homepage, filed 30 Mar 06,
www.land-care.org.uk Click
Here to View
3. http://www.scottishbeefcattleassociation.org.uk
Finis
|
