Beefarmers Membership

[Hivemaker.]

I think a lot of members will do the same Pete, only problem is this will all happen down the line in March 2015 when we have all paid up

Best not to pay up until they do know, Chris, or just pay a quarter of the membership to last until the end of March.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I pay by direct debit Pete so not so easy to change or cancel !!

 

[Hivemaker.]

I pay by direct debit Pete so not so easy to change or cancel !!

So do i, but will cancel it.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Hopefully Alex will answer my question on FB and come up with an alternative solution for us

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hopefully Alex will answer my question on FB and come up with an alternative solution for us

I really hope he does, Chris... off to make some foundation now.

 

[Bates]

Read this in our renewal pack yesterday. This is one of the main reasons I joined, I cannot say I have benefitted much. I am considering not renewing if this is the case also.

 

[Pete D]

Got my renewal today. Associate member.
No insurance, no beekeepers quarterly and £20 extra to receive new journal through post.
As an associate member I wouldn't have enough hives to take advantage of the bulk buying scheme.
As I said previously I don't feel I get value for my £50, the BBKA offers better value.

However I could now become a tier 1 member with over 40 hives which would cost me £100, I would get beekeepers quarterly but it looks like no insurance.
I have attended two area meetings in the past, the highest turnout was 14 and I travelled 150 mile round trip for a couple of hours chat.

Pretty sure that I won't be renewing for my 3rd year.

 

[mbc]

This thread is very worrying, if anyone chats to Murray on Twitter they should send him a link. It would be a shame imo if it folded, I've never travelled to an area meeting and have only sparsely used the bulk buy offers, but I enjoy the bulletin, it's nice to feel part of a community of bee farmers(can be a lonely existence sometimes!) and seemingly like the rest of you on this thread the raison d'etre of being a member is the insurance, this importance needs to be highlighted before members fail to renew in such droves the whole thing becomes unsustainable. Needs sorting asap.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I asked the question on the groups Face-book page with a lot of reply s, most of them by concerned members and a few from committee members, the situation seems to be as we thought, we will be covered as usual until 21st of March 2015 then if the BFA can not find a alternative insurer to cover us as a group we will have to take out insurance as individuals which could involve paying an additional premium, the NFU have indicated for trier 1 it would be in the regain of £150 or so, with the option of bolt ons ie bees in transit etc too suite, this cover would be in the regain of £250 if purchased outside the BFA, they are talking about this being the worst case scenario and are working hard behind the scenes to come up with a better deal for us all and were even hoping they might even be able to absorb some of the cost for tier 1 members, so it is very much up in the air at present, we will be informed as soon as they have something in place, i must say the timing of this leaves a lot to be desired, maybe we should have been aware of this back in the summer, but too be fair to the BFA it is the insurance companies that can not make up their minds on how to interprate the new FCA rules so not really the BFA`s fault entirely.

 

[Hivemaker.]

After finding out a bit more earlier today, i called Alex, and it is pretty much as described by Chris in the last post, Alex joined the forum this morning so i asked Mark to sign him into this section, so maybe he will have some more to add when he next visits the forum.

 

[ROACHMAN]

Got my renewal today. Associate member.
No insurance, no beekeepers quarterly and £20 extra to receive new journal through post.
As an associate member I wouldn't have enough hives to take advantage of the bulk buying scheme.
As I said previously I don't feel I get value for my £50, the BBKA offers better value.

However I could now become a tier 1 member with over 40 hives which would cost me £100, I would get beekeepers quarterly but it looks like no insurance.
I have attended two area meetings in the past, the highest turnout was 14 and I travelled 150 mile round trip for a couple of hours chat.

Pretty sure that I won't be renewing for my 3rd year.

Im in exactly the same boat

The only benefit I get for my £50 is the bulletin (which will cost £20 extra for a hard copy - why so expensive?)

I get no insurance
no Beekeepers quarterly
no use of BFA anti tamper labels
and I can negotiate comparable prices for jars etc without using the bulk buy scheme

I could upgrade to full membership but dont know anyone to propose and second me as im unable to attend mid week meetings due to having a demanding full time job.

Seriously thinking of not renewing

 

[Chrisfnvs]

I think that is a good move Pete having Alex on the forum as most on here seem to be BFA members anyway it can only be a good thing and we might get some facts on this and other subjects

 

[Alex ELlis]

Hello all,

I will try to avoid repetition of points made in the statement sent out with membership renewal information, but can perhaps add the following comments:

We are led to believe the change in rules will affect group insurance policies. However, it remains to be seen how these rules will impact in practice; it may be that there are different solutions depending on context/scale of organisation/resources, etc. BFA must look after its own immediate situation and, most importantly, the interests of its members. Recent experiences suggest that not all (organisations or insurers) are on top of these changes, with the risk of leaving both individuals and organisations exposed.

We have one offer on the table from our existing insurers, NFU Mutual, who are generally considered to be 'good' insurers, with high satisfaction ratings. This may yet be the best option available, but we are continuing to explore other avenues until they are exhausted to ensure we get the best deal we can for members in both the short and longer term. This includes exploring whether there are any practical workarounds which support the offer of a continuing group policy at sensible premiums that is also compliant with regulations. Once the way forward is clear and specifics are known, the board will be in a position to consider how these might impact on the membership fee and will, no doubt, take the consequent necessary steps.

Should we be left with the NFU offer as the best we can secure, I think the comment above: '... golden rule is that the benefits of being a member should at least equal or be greater than the cost of membership ...' is pertinent. Tier 1 membership as it stands, plus the preferential insurance rate quoted, equates to a total of around £260. If members are able to obtain quotes for like-for-like cover on an individual basis for less than this total figure, please let me know as this will provide BFA with further information with which to negotiate.

Members will be kept informed of developments. At the moment we are awaiting further responses from alternative insurers.

 

[beebreeder]

Alex We find the problem in my "other business" it's a relatively small market, nearly niche so not many companies even able to offer cover and then TRUE like for like is very difficult to find, the small print with the extra clauses in leave everyone lost how truly like for like the quotes are.
What has been surprising is the fact that so many are only members for the insurance, there are many other benefits that we just use without thinking about it, contacts, shared purchases to get good deals, bulk buy, not to mention the apprenticeship scheme & DASH etc
Kev

 

[Pete D]

Im in exactly the same boat

The only benefit I get for my £50 is the bulletin (which will cost £20 extra for a hard copy - why so expensive?)

I get no insurance
no Beekeepers quarterly
no use of BFA anti tamper labels
and I can negotiate comparable prices for jars etc without using the bulk buy scheme

I could upgrade to full membership but dont know anyone to propose and second me as im unable to attend mid week meetings due to having a demanding full time job.

Seriously thinking of not renewing

Which is a shame as its good to belong. Most of the benefits are aimed at bigger business's as things like DASH and the apprentice scheme which are great but not for associate members.
As I understand it the associate member was introduced to get more members and encourage us to build up and become full members. Personally I have had no contact with anyone from BFA except Alex and David before him and this was either newsletters or renewals.
Not really a complaint just that if membership that was introduced and aimed at the likes of me isn't really benefiting me then maybe it's not suitable and needs a rethink. I wonder if the smaller or associate members are represented on the committee and if their needs are considered and if there is any plans or help / advice available to help us move up the tiers. Not easy as its a uk wide organisation and we are all spread across it.
Looks like we may fall,between the cracks as the BBKA doesn't really cater for us either.
I wonder if their insurance will need to change going forward.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Welcome to the forum Alex, it is good to have an official BFA voice on here, and thanks for your comments, I feel the real problem is that members will see this as a loss of an existing primary benefit of membership, I don`t think the extra financial cost of insurance to individual members is the real problem, more that members will still pay the same subscriptions cost but will receive less for it, more a principle you could say, as i have said in an earlier post I will renew my membership and see what happens, as I also mentioned before and agreeing with Peter D, I would like to see more help for smaller bee farmers who wish to expand or those setting up, these members are the future of bee farming in the UK.

 

[Alex ELlis]

To pick your point up, a review of membership eligibility and related benefits is on the table at the moment. Timescales permitting, it is possible proposals will come to the March AGM, which may be necessary with regards to any changes that are governed by the Memorandum and Articles of the association.

In terms of 'help' to move up tiers, the new journal will have a changed emphasis and feature a greater proportion of case studies and practical articles, etc, of interest in terms of business development to both established businesses and those in the earlier stages of development.

Have you attended any of the conference events or regional meetings previously? Both offer a good chance to meet other members.

I would be interested in your ideas as to what else you would find useful - this would help with our review. Feel free to email suggestions to me on [email protected]

 

[Alex ELlis]

Welcome to the forum Alex, it is good to have an official BFA voice on here, and thanks for your comments, I feel the real problem is that members will see this as a loss of an existing primary benefit of membership, I don`t think the extra financial cost of insurance to individual members is the real problem, more that members will still pay the same subscriptions cost but will receive less for it, more a principle you could say, as i have said in an earlier post I will renew my membership and see what happens, as I also mentioned before and agreeing with Peter D, I would like to see more help for smaller bee farmers who wish to expand or those setting up, these members are the future of bee farming in the UK.

Thanks for the welcome. The point I am trying to make re: subscriptions is that, until arrangements are finalised, we do not know the implication on the subscription fee. For example, if we yet manage to agree a group policy, similar to that which we have at the moment and paid for integral to the subscription fee, this will have an entirely different impact than if the insurance becomes a wholly separate direct arrangement between members and the insurers. We will be considering this as soon as arrangements are finalised, ie, when it is possible to do so, and will be looking to manage the financial implications for both members and the association as a body both sensibly and fairly.

 

[Chrisfnvs]

Thanks Alex, I think that is all we as members can ask at this point, namely to be treated fairly, a point I feel was not adequately convaide in the membership pack, and the timing could have also been better, I think most members are intelligent people who would not like to see the Association saddled with a crippling financial burden just to keep the cost of insurance as part of the membership package, hopefully most would welcome a compromise. I do attend the regional meeting and have done so since becoming a member a couple of years ago, I have not yet attended any of the conventions, they are on my to do list, although the regional meetings are good I personally find the long established Bee Farmers stay in their small groups made up of long time friends, it takes a long time to be accepted into those groups and build up contacts, i will email you some of my ideas on what can be done to help the newer bee farmers

 

[Alex ELlis]

Thanks, Chris - I think I got out of sequence with my replies - my comments about the conference, etc, were in relation to Pete D's comments, not your own. Anyway, I look forward to suggestions which are always helpful.