Member Matters: August/September 2025
All the latest from Red Tractor
All the latest updates from the Red Tractor team
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Member Matters - August/September 2025
Welcome to the August 2025 edition of Member Matters.
We’re working hard to instil pride in British food and farming. This month’s Member Matters captures just some of this work.
New advertising campaign
From 25 August, you’ll start to see new adverts promoting Red Tractor assured produce to UK shoppers. Our new advertising campaign, ‘With you for 25 years’, will feature on TV, on-demand channels, on signage in and around supermarkets, and for the first time, radio. The advert brings to life the continued presence of assured British produce in the family kitchen. Over the next three months, we expect the campaign to be seen nine times by 93% of UK Primary Shoppers – that's 26 million people.
Listen: this time we're on radio too
Delivering sector-specific change
Next month, Red Tractor’s Sector Boards will consider and finalise proposals that update and modernise requirements for each sector. We’ll be sharing these strategies with you in October and welcome your feedback. Join us at one of our face-to-face meetings being held around the country at the end of October
Register your attendence by clicking on an event near you:
Monday 27th October – Westpoint Arena, Exeter, 6pm
Tuesday 28th October – Staffordshire Showground, Weston, 6pm
Wednesday 29th October - Edworth Manor, Biggleswade, 6pm
Thursday 30th October – York Sports Club, 6pm
Industry leaders join Technical Advisory Committees
Independent experts from across the industry sit on Red Tractor’s six Technical Advisory Committees – known as TACs – and help to shape our standards. We’re ensuring these committees are made up of the best people to deliver impactful change.
We’re delighted that three renowned industry leaders have been appointed to chair the Beef & Lamb, Dairy and Fresh Produce TACs.
Professor Jude Capper, Beef & Lamb TAC Chair
Dr Amy Jackson, Dairy TAC Chair
Barbara Bray MBE, Fresh Produce TAC Chair
Find out more about the Technical Advisory Committees
Upholding standards
This month we’ve also responded to deeply distressing footage showing the mistreatment and neglect of pigs on an assured farm in Lincolnshire. The farms’ Red Tractor certification has been suspended and a full investigation is underway.
The disregard for animal welfare shown in the footage does a disservice to members going above and beyond to care for their animals. We take upholding trust in the Red Tractor label and the work you - our assured farmers - do extremely seriously. Farms which do not meet our standards cannot be assured.
We’ve also shared our concerns with the media regarding the tactics used by activists to release footage to the media, MPs and retailers, many months after it’s filmed.
Read our response to the Mail on Sunday
How we’re upholding Red Tractor Standards
Doing more to support farmers
We’re working on a raft of improvements which aim to support British farmers. Key developments this month include the appointment of a Vice Chair, John Pain, who will lead on ensuring farmer wellbeing is taken into consideration.
We’ve also launched a new Members Updates hub on our website.
We’re committed to keeping you up to date on industry developments which may impact your Red Tractor assurance. There’s a heads-up on new rules for buying rodenticides below. And, don’t forget, there’s still time to enter our draw to join us at the Farmers Weekly Awards on 2 October.
Best Wishes, Jo MillerDirector of Communications & Engagement
We’re pleased to announce a series of member events taking place across the UK, and we warmly invite you to attend.
These meetings will provide an important opportunity to hear directly about Red Tractor’s work to deliver tangible change - and share your feedback. We’ll also be sharing practical tips and information to help you prepare for your Red Tractor assessments, including a Red Tractor Portal demonstration.
We encourage you to participate in shaping the future of the Red Tractor scheme by attending and contributing to the discussion.
As places are limited, we advise registering early to secure your attendance.
We look forward to welcoming you at the following locations:
Please click the links to secure your ticket for a Red Tractor event near you:
Red Tractor is the most representative UK farm assurance scheme, bringing together voices from across the agricultural supply chain.
Farmers and growers sit at the heart of Red Tractor and are represented at each level of our governance. Each sector has its own Sector Board, ensuring that decisions are informed by those with direct knowledge and experience of the industry.
To provide additional specialist insight, each sector also has a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) whose members are drawn from a broad cross-section of the sector’s supply chain, including farmers, processors, retailers, food service, veterinarians, and other technical experts.
This governance structure ensures that Red Tractor standards are developed and maintained with input from those who are both affected by and responsible for implementing them.
TACs are central to the integrity and credibility of Red Tractor standards
TACs are collectively tasked with the ongoing maintenance, review, and development of farm standards to ensure they remain practical, scientifically robust, and aligned with evolving best practice, legislation, and market requirements.
Their responsibilities include:
Reviewing existing standards to ensure they remain relevant, proportionate, and achievable for members.
Evaluating new evidence and emerging issues, such as advances in animal welfare science, environmental sustainability practices, or food safety requirements.
Recommending changes or updates to the Sector Boards. Any changes recommended by a TAC go through a wider consultation process before being approved by the relevant Red Tractor Sector Board and implemented on farm.
Monitoring implementation challenges to ensure that standards work effectively on the ground and deliver the intended outcomes.
How they work
Their role is dynamic, not static. New terms of reference introduced for TACs earlier this year ensure that they meet regularly to review emerging issues, share knowledge from across the industry, and identify where standards may need to evolve.
They must respond proactively to a wide range of challenges, from new scientific research and changes in best practice, to shifting market expectations, legislative requirements, and policy changes at both UK and international level. By combining the strategic oversight of the Sector Boards with the technical expertise of the TAC’s Red Tractor’s governance structure aims to create a balanced and robust decision-making process.
Sector Boards set the overall direction, ensuring that the assurance scheme reflects the needs and priorities of the industry, while TACs provide the specialist knowledge, evidence, and practical insight needed to shape the detail of the standards. These points are relfected in Red Tractor's updated terms of reference for sector boards and TACs.
Your representatives
Recently, we welcomed three new TAC Chairs, Jude Capper as Beef & Lamb TAC Chair, Amy Jackson as Dairy TAC Chair and Barbara Bray, MBE as Fresh Produce TAC Chair. They bring fresh expertise and perspectives to the leadership of these important committees.
Chair of the Combinable Crops and Sugarbeet TAC is prominent maltster industry figure Dr Nigel Davies. The poultry TACs are led by food systems and sustainability director Judith Irons, and Dr Grace O’Gorman, veterinary researcher and policy expert chairs the pig TAC.
Red Tractor has been laying the foundations to deliver changes to standards. To ensure a consistent, agreed approach the following policies have been developed with input from Sector Boards:
Policy for Development of Red Tractor Standards
Terms of Reference for Sector Boards
Terms of Reference for Technical Advisory Committees
Dr Amy Jackson is a highly respected communications specialist and researcher with extensive experience in the UK dairy sector.
She is the founder of Oxtale, an agribusiness PR consultancy specialising in issues and crisis management, and has spent over two decades advising farming organisations, processors, and food businesses on reputation, conflict resolution and behaviour change, with a particular eye on building bridges with the public.
As well as serving as Head of Communications for the Milk Development Council, Amy has provided guidance on managing challenges around ‘megafarm’ projects, supported businesses at the centre of the horsemeat storm, and led the communications turnaround on antibiotic use in UK livestock for RUMA.
Her PhD at Nottingham Vet School examined public preferences for dairy farming in the UK, work which has changed the way she approaches difficult reputational challenges for the sector such as animal welfare, environmental performance and supply chain integrity.
She has also contributed her expertise to numerous technical and policy groups, helping shape practical, evidence-based approaches that balance high production standards with the commercial realities of farming across a broad range of systems.
I’m a strong believer in farm assurance, an evidence-based approach, and the power of a diverse group—which makes this role my perfect challenge. The TAC contains some very talented and knowledgeable people, and I’m committed to making sure that not only is everyone’s voice is heard, but we find robust ways forward on some very tricky technical challenges which lie ahead for the dairy sector.
On welcoming Amy to the role, Dairy Sector Board Chair Tim Lock said:
“I am delighted that Dr. Amy Jackson has agreed to take over as Chair of the Red Tractor Dairy Technical Advisory Committee. Her wide experience across the whole dairy supply chain will be invaluable as we move forward to make sure our standards are relevant, robust, and fit for the future for farmer, processor and retailer.”
Nuffield Scholar and leading nutritionist Barbara Bray MBE has been appointed as chair of Red Tractor’s Fresh Produce TAC.
Barbara is best known for her work in food safety, supply chains, and nutrition strategy.
She has held influential roles including director of the Oxford Farming Conference 2022, Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, trustee of the Nutrition Society, and UN Committee for Food Security speaker.
She earned her Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2017 to study global food systems and completed a project on vegetable production for specific nutritional needs. In 2019, she was awarded an MBE for services to food nutrition.
I’m pleased to have joined the Red Tractor Fresh Produce Technical Advisory Committee at such a key time for the organisation. Red Tractor has entered a period of change and is committed to rebuilding and strengthening farmer trust in its standards development process. I will ensure all voices in our sector are heard as we review food safety standards and welcome ideas that strengthen trust in UK food.
Jude is a well-known figure in the livestock sector, specialising in practical, science-led solutions that help beef and sheep farmers improve efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental performance.
Currently the ABP Chair of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production at Harper Adams University, she has nearly two decades of research and advisory experience.
A passionate advocate for evidence-based decision-making, Jude’s work focuses on developing practical, science-led solutions that improve efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental outcomes across the supply chain. Her expertise has shaped policy discussions, industry strategies, and consumer engagement on the role of livestock in sustainable food production.
Jude is also a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, and holds leadership positions within the industry, including Vice-Chair of the National Beef Association and Chair of the Route Panel for Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care at Skills England. She has also served on multiple advisory boards, working closely with farmers, processors, retailers, and policymakers.
With a long career in research and industry, Professor Capper believes the work of Red Tractor is hugely important, and vital to get right. As Chair of the Beef and Lamb TAC, Jude will also sit on the Beef and Lamb Sector Board.
A sustainable, resilient food supply chain is dependent on trust, from the farmers who produce food through the processors and retailers to the consumers who buy it in the supermarket. To ensure that the UK food supply chain is sustainable, we must implement evidence-based, appropriate, applicable food assurance standards that are transparent and therefore maintain trust for all involved. We know that our farm assurance schemes are incredibly robust compared to other global standards, but we must continue to examine their relevance and applicability and to ensure that they help producers to be better and more profitable, rather than adding to the burden of paperwork. As global markets continue to put pressure on UK agriculture, we must demonstrate that we are making the right choices with respect to animal health and welfare, environmental protection, labour, documentation and food safety.
If you use or buy professional rodenticides, there are some changes coming in from 1 January 2026. From that date, the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticides Use (CRRU) will require users of rodenticides to show proof of competence when buying these products. These are not Red Tractor's rules, but there are a couple of straightforward ways to qualify:
Complete a CRRU UK-approved training course (within the last 5 years), OR
Be signed up to a CRRU UK-recognised CPD (Continuing Professional Development) scheme.
You’ll need to show this proof when buying rodenticides from 2026 onwards. These changes are part of updated rules being put in place to make sure rodenticides are used responsibly by everyone – including farmers, pest controllers, and gamekeepers.
You can find approved training courses and check recognised CPD schemes on the CRRU website.
Don’t miss your chance to attend one of the most prestigious events in the farming calendar.
Red Tractor is sponsoring the Mixed Farmer of the Year award and there’s still time to enter our competition to win a pair of tickets. Join us in celebrating the excellence in agriculture, network with industry leaders, and enjoy a fantastic evening of recognition and entertainment.
Competition closes Monday 1 September.
Date: Thursday, 2 October 2025 Location: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London Travel: We’ll cover rail expenses to London. Stay: Enjoy complimentary accommodation in London on the night of the awards.
Find out how to win a pair of tickets
