Exclusive: Batters apologises to NFU members over Red Tractor debacle

NFU president Minette Batters has apologised to her members who have been “upset” by the union’s handling of the introduction of Red Tractor’s controversial green module, the Greener Farm Commitment (GFC).

In an exclusive interview with Farmers Weekly, Mrs Batters admitted she had “made lots of mistakes” during her time as leader, but she was committed to “getting things right.”

See also: NFU call to pause Red Tractor green module ignored

“I’ll be the first to apologise. But I haven’t given up 10 years of my life and stepped back from my business to go and cock stuff up,” she said.

“Nobody in my position goes out to cause any harm, so if anybody feels upset by anything that’s happened, of course I apologise profusely, but why would I be doing this if I didn’t want to get it right?”

Watch the exclusive interview in full below.

Mrs Batters also denied that she had U-turned on the NFU’s position on the GFC, as she outlined plans for two wide-ranging reviews into the governance and effectiveness of Red Tractor.

Last week, NFU delegates were left incensed by a statement released in the name of deputy president Tom Bradshaw following a heated meeting of the union’s council, the contents of which were leaked to FW.

Mr Bradshaw’s statement had claimed there was disagreement only on the GFC “procedures, not principles”, but multiple sources told FW at the time that the quote did not accurately reflect the discussions that took place or the council resolution.

“There wasn’t a U-turn at all,” said Mrs Batters.

“The frustration that I had was that the resolution had broken cover before we had been able to speak to anybody at all.

“It’s easy to have your day in the sun being really angry at something, but this is about developing meaningful change, so that is why what was deemed an anodyne press release was put out, to say this has got to be done right.”

Mrs Batters went on to add she was not in a position to “create policy on the hoof”, but it was clear now that a sector-specific, less-bureaucratic approach to assurance was needed.

She suggested that the system for venison, where suppliers have to produce a certificate demonstrating compliance with the law, could be a model for a “light-touch” scheme in other sectors.

“So many [members] now have a file on a shelf, pages and pages and pages, [and wonder] what that is doing for the value of [their] business and what is it actually doing for the consumer,” she said.

“I can see many of our members who do not have a direct relationship with the consumer.

“They are several steps removed and yet they are being asked to jump through ever more hoops.”

Rumours have been swirling for the past two weeks about disagreement among the NFU top team on the approach that has been taken on the GFC, and Red Tractor’s future more broadly.

However, Mrs Batters denied knowledge of any rift when asked whether they were united.

“They [the other officeholders] haven’t said any differently to me,” she said.

“We have to operate as a team. The NFU is a huge organisation, from our council members down to our branch relationships.

“We’ve got to be one NFU, because that’s how we’re powerful, to speak as one.

“We’re a team. I need a team, but it’s a much bigger team than the officeholders.”