Bord Bia Quality Scheme

S.Burke

Well-Known Member
I looked into it around the time of the ploughing match last year, and the 'man in charge' here didn't want anyone telling him how to farm after all he's been at it all his life. ( I can see his point). but he was going to bring a cow to the factory the other week and was told that now they have to be Bord Bia Quality Assured.

I thought the idea was that you would get an extra few cent/kg on the animal i didn't know it would coming in mandatory.

Anyway i was wondering if thats the case with all the factories or just the one in kildare?

if not, is the scheme worth it anyway?
 
I thought they still took cattle without it, worth speaking with a few agents or if you know one well. Can be hassle as if they don't want them it's gives them an excuse not to take them iykwim.

Been in the scheme for years, inspection not too bad, fairly reasonable tbh. Worth it for getting the QA bonus.
 
I thought they still took cattle without it, worth speaking with a few agents or if you know one well. Can be hassle as if they don't want them it's gives them an excuse not to take them iykwim.

Been in the scheme for years, inspection not too bad, fairly reasonable tbh. Worth it for getting the QA bonus.
They will still take them at a price.

No problems with the BBQAS scheme here either and well worth being in it as not that much extra work really.
 
They will still take them at a price.

No problems with the BBQAS scheme here either and well worth being in it as not that much extra work really.

I thought so alright, much like the overage cattle then but you'll be last in the line.
 
Since the horse meat f.ck up , all the customers only want QA beef , so the factories have few customers for nonQA beef.
 
thanks for the replies. as regards the horse meat b#lls up, you would think its hard to mix up a horse an a cow when they're coming in. its what happens afterwards where it would become confusing alright.
it seems there's always something,
 
thanks for the replies. as regards the horse meat b#lls up, you would think its hard to mix up a horse an a cow when they're coming in. its what happens afterwards where it would become confusing alright.
it seems there's always something,

Well it certainly wasn't the farmers fault but of course we are taking the hit once again.
 
I've been getting letters back from the factory with my payment for years now asking me to sign up, as most of their customers want QA meat, apparently. So far, I haven't bothered, especially as I'm not sending much stock to the factory recently. My bullocks are sold as stores, and a local butcher takes my finished heifers, without any mention of QA crap :thumbup: . All the factory gets is my cull cows.
I do know a man who signed up for it a few years ago.. He wouldn't be the most organised, let's say. Anyway, when the time came that he had an inspection, he got a little annoyed about all the requirements, and told the inspector to flip off, and he'd do without it... :lol:
 
Quite amazing that farmers decline 12c per kg bonus on in spec animals for the little organisation required for BBQAS in such a low margin business. If the factories cut 12c there would be uproar. Astonishing how many voluntarily decline it! Some standard health and safety, a few signs, and recorded feed and remedies and that's about it for €42 on each 350kg carcass.
 
Quite amazing that farmers decline 12c per kg bonus on in spec animals for the little organisation required for BBQAS in such a low margin business. If the factories cut 12c there would be uproar. Astonishing how many voluntarily decline it! Some standard health and safety, a few signs, and recorded feed and remedies and that's about it for €42 on each 350kg carcass.

Are you sure it's 12 cent? :001_huh: Last time I heard, it was 2 cent.... :001_unsure:
 
Got QA results back during the week same as last review nothing has changed passed no probs. I noticed I have a few things to improve on according to the inspector which the last one didn't mention which I think means he didn't see a problem.is it an individual thing with inspectors that the results are different?
 
Got QA results back during the week same as last review nothing has changed passed no probs. I noticed I have a few things to improve on according to the inspector which the last one didn't mention which I think means he didn't see a problem.is it an individual thing with inspectors that the results are different?
Yes absolutely but anything they do refer to we do improve upon where financially etc reasonable.
 
Yes absolutely but anything they do refer to we do improve upon where financially etc reasonable.


Yes have done same but some are just contradictions one had no problem with footbath in yard the other said to put in at the farm gate?
 
Yes have done same but some are just contradictions one had no problem with footbath in yard the other said to put in at the farm gate?
Personally I wouldn't bother changing it. You can always say it is for security or health and safety that it is there. Which I presume it is.
 
Yes have done same but some are just contradictions one had no problem with footbath in yard the other said to put in at the farm gate?


You could just say that the likely hood is that any visitors will be driving into the yard so would have to walk back to the gate to use it rather than being able to stop close to it and use it,
 
I have mine comming up on Thursday this my third one so I have improved on all notes so it will be interesting what comes up this time
 
Been in QA for years now. Always passed no bother. Always have a few improvements but they say they have to because it looks bad on their part of they don't. A wee prick doing it this year. Every farmer he goes to Hates him even the other inspectors don't like him
 
Been in QA for years now. Always passed no bother. Always have a few improvements but they say they have to because it looks bad on their part of they don't. A wee prick doing it this year. Every farmer he goes to Hates him even the other inspectors don't like him

That's the annoying part... Finding faults because it looks bad on their part if they don't. It just gets ridiculous after a while. There should be a set of rules the day you sign up to it, and an inspection should be nothing more than confirming you are following the rules. This bullshit of jumping through hoops to aim at their constantly moving goalposts, for no other reason than to keep them looking good would put me right off it.....
 
The goalposts changing is more annoying. We now have the scenario where signs from a few years back are not good enough because of a change in text [emoji57]
 
Tbf got on well with the inspectors, they'd try and help us through it and seen it from their view. Always Brought them in for tea afterwards . They said if they give everyone good marks they'd get inspected on how they perform their inspections. But this inspector this year was really a prick . Did his best to find all the faults and seen his face light up when he found them. He didn't get any tea from us anyway
 
Tbf got on well with the inspectors, they'd try and help us through it and seen it from their view. Always Brought them in for tea afterwards . They said if they give everyone good marks they'd get inspected on how they perform their inspections. But this inspector this year was really a prick . Did his best to find all the faults and seen his face light up when he found them. He didn't get any tea from us anyway


did you pass,?

we usually have a 95% + pass rate & got that this year for beef lamb & dairy

was our first year with dairy & TBH he passed a few items I thought we'd be pulled on

guy was sound but maybe like your case could meet a hitler next time we might have been better off getting a few warnings
 
just going trough medicine book and meal dockets for tomorrow , I,m surprised with the no of single tags missing even an odd double
 
did you pass,?



we usually have a 95% + pass rate & got that this year for beef lamb & dairy



was our first year with dairy & TBH he passed a few items I thought we'd be pulled on



guy was sound but maybe like your case could meet a hitler next time we might have been better off getting a few warnings


We still don't know . Had the inspection back start of sept and said couple small things needed sorted .A man out today from the creamery with a different list of stuff wasn't up to his standard. There was 4 things wasn't up to scratch. BUT the 4 things was linked to one thing. Basically he said we had receipt of a certain antibiotics but it wasn't in the medicine book. We never heard tell of the stuff. Man today (nice man) spent two hours going through receipts and stuff looking for this proof that we bought it. So basically he mixed us up with a different farmer. Not sure if that all makes sense
 
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