Trading Standards & wood pellets

[trendybraincell]

I have used wood pellets from a certain company for the last 2/3 years, I have no problems with them, in fact I am very happy.

Yesterday my YO had a delivery from a local company, when they were delivered he saw my pallet of "rival" company pellets and said to my YO did we know said company have been in trouble with trading standards as the pellets are not fit to be used for horse bedding.

Obviously I am not going to go publicly naming this company as I have no idea if this man was just trying to gain more business!
Has any one heard anything similar??

 

[9tails]

Nope.

 

[ester]

I guess he didn't elaborate? I am trying to imagine how any sort of wood pellet would not be suitable for horse bedding, unless it had bloomin great nails/ hunks of wood or similar in the mix!

 

[Boxers]

I guess you could ring Trading Standards and ask them?

However, if you are happy with the pellets and have not had problems with them, then I would suggest it was 'sour grapes' and he was trying to put you off buying them and hoping you would buy from him in future.

 

[katastrophykat]

Do you buy them as bedding or as fuel? I know there's a big VAT difference- and those I know on pellets all buy them as fuel and not bedding. Could that be it?

 

[trendybraincell]

I wasn't there, so only going by what he told the YO. He said they are made from broken down pallets so can contain creosote.

Personally, I thought it was sour grapes. Like I said, I've had no problems and he isn't able to beat them on price currently. Just wanted to check I wasn't missing a trick

 

[trendybraincell]

Do you buy them as bedding or as fuel? I know there's a big VAT difference- and those I know on pellets all buy them as fuel and not bedding. Could that be it?

I did wonder if it could be that, I'm far to paranoid about getting in trouble and pay the VAT, so I am paying the prices for bedding!

 

[Naryafluffy]

Have you tried google to see if anything is on there.
Could it be people buying the soft wood pellets that are only meant for burning (lower VAT), I used to use Liverpool Wood Pellets and they had a 'Sale' on for cheaper wood pellets, when we contacted them they did advised that they weren't suitable for horse bedding as they were soft wood, however if we hadn't phoned and just ordered them online we wouldn't have known.
There are a lot of people who don't say that they are buying for horse bedding so that they don't pay the higher rate of VAT associated with horse bedding, but this could also lead to them getting pellets that are not suitable for horse bedding.

PS I only stopped using LWP to support a local business and cut down on the transport and therefore better green footprint (I was clearly going through a funny phase!!!)

 

[NOISYGIRL]

I'd email/ring the company to see what they said, contact trading standards too

I would pay the correct VAT

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Do you buy them as bedding or as fuel? I know there's a big VAT difference- and those I know on pellets all buy them as fuel and not bedding. Could that be it?

That will be the criminal offence of fraud they're committing then!

Unless they have a wood pellet fired boiler in their house, which not many people too, I would seriously warn them to stop - its just not worth a criminal record and sooner or later Customs and Exise will do a clampdown.

That's before the risks associated with the products not always being identical even if they look it. After all one can hardly sue the maker if your horse is injured by a shard of whatever if they sell fuel pellets and horse pellets and one buys the fuel ones, they wont have any liability providing they were suitable for burning in a boiler.