You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Committee Publications > All Select Committee Publications > Commons Select Committees > Environment, Food and Rural Affairs > Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Memorandum submitted by Mr and Mrs D W Terpstra (DFoB 32)

 

· Mr and Mrs D W Terpstra (Partnership)

 

· Tenanted family farm

 

· Just built brand new dairy complex (running for 2 years)

 

· Losses now of around £75,000-£85,000 because of DFB management decisions

 

Tenant farmers cannot afford this sort of loss; it will be approximately 5-10 years to get back to where we were in financial terms.

 

Points listed below:-

 

a) "No transparency"

 

b) Dec '08-meeting at Petersfield, Hants. (this, in fact, was the last meeting to be held. Had been told that there would be another meeting in the middle of Feb '09). Difficulties within the business but we were all told that we would be alright by the board, the membership director and his staff. Roger Taylor had been recruited to sort things out. Tim Wild, regional manager, said that everyone else was in just as big a muddle and have the same problems!

 

c) Both M Sheenham and S Yates advised me, in two separate letters dated 26/02/09, to rescind my notice to leave given in Feb '09 and not to sign a contract with another milk purchaser. On hindsight, I should have never have listened!

 

d) John Grantchester (chairman) told me personally that the DFB would be alright (see letter 13/02/09).

 

e) "1/2 pence/litre capital was still being paid"-nobody could say what for?

 

f) Philip Moody (non-executive director) resigning from DFB (Talking Points-Nov '08) of firm Smith and Williamson Corporate Finance Ltd. They were financial advisers to DFB. In Feb '09, the above were replaced by PricewaterhouseCoopers. This needs an explanation?

 

g) All the correspondence to members kept saying "please stay in touch and ask whatever questions you like." The fact of the matter was that all we got back was that there was nothing new to report. (Celia Nicklin-member business centre manager-will know how many conversations I had with her).

 

h) The Chairman, CEO and the board of DFB all knew what was going on and should have been transparent with the membership instead of leading them on that everything was alright. The business should have been finished in June '08. Financial losses, hardship and mental strain have all been born by the membership and all the people at the top of DFB should be made answerable.

 

Mr and Mrs D W Terpstra

 

August 2009