Farmers to have their say on future of Red Tractor assurance
© Red Tractor A far-reaching, “back-to-basics” review of all farm assurance schemes – including Red Tractor – is on the cards, as the NFU and AHDB set out to deliver better value for members and greater farmer involvement in developing standards.
Setting out the terms for the upcoming review, the two organisations say now is the right time to ensure assurance schemes are fit for purpose.
See also: Red Tractor processes ‘largely sound’ review finds
The review will seek to capture views from across the whole industry, including farmers, growers, merchants and processors.
It will examine:
- How farm assurance can deliver value back to scheme members
- How standards are developed to meet evolving member and market needs
- How assurance scheme members engage with the development of standards
- How they are inspected and how technology is used
- How assurance schemes fit with government regulation.
Red Tractor will be considered as part of this process as it is the dominant assurance scheme, but the review will focus on all areas of farm assurance.
Issues such as food safety, branding, provenance, sector needs and sustainability will be addressed, “without giving away value from the farm gate”.
Different world
NFU president Minette Batters said: “The world is very different to the way it was when farm assurance schemes started in the UK some 25 years ago, thanks to huge changes in the way food is produced, coupled with increased interest from consumers about where their food comes from.
“It’s time for change. Farmers and growers don’t feel that many schemes currently work for them.
“This review will see us go back to basics to look at the future of assurance and I would encourage the entire industry to positively engage with it.”
AHDB chairman Nicholas Saphir said farm assurance, backed by audits, was still vital to the reputation of levy payers’ produce, to underpin promotion in the home and export markets.
“This independent, evidence-based review will allow us all to understand and address the future needs and opportunities that assurance has to play for the successful future of our industry,” he said.
The next step will be to appoint an independent commission to oversee the review, ensure full transparency, and provide the opportunity for farmers and industry to have their say.
Further work on assurance
The AHDB is conducting two additional pieces of work to provide independent insight into assurance schemes.
In the beef and lamb sector, it will explore how domestic farm standards compare with our international competitors.
And for cereals and oilseeds sector, the AHDB will set out what assurance covers and how it currently works for the different supply sources into our market.