Strategic recommendations

Red Tractor's responses

Responses to the strategic recommendations

The Farm Assurance Review provides nine Strategic Recommendations.

The following pages provide Red Tractor's response to each strategic recommendation, highlighting those that are a priority to our organisation.

These high-level recommendations are supported by 56 more specific detailed recommendations, which we provide responses to later in this document.

FAR 1: On-farm audits must be reduced, simplified and delivered more consistently

RT response (1): PRIORITY FOR RED TRACTOR

Red Tractor fully supports this recommendation. We want farmers to experience real change with smarter risk-based audits which reduce burden.

We are committed to prioritising the relevant recommendations in partnership with our certification bodies, assessors and other schemes to ensure audits to Red Tractor’s standards are consistent, simplified, meaningful and as efficient as possible.

FAR 2: There must be a transformational step forward in embracing technology and managing data to deliver more effective farm assurance with greater added value for all

RT response (2): PRIORITY FOR RED TRACTOR

Red Tractor fully supports this recommendation and is committed to investing in and embracing technology and improving data management. This will start with the roll out of initial developments to the Red Tractor Portal to improve the functionality for members and assessors.

We have started to seek views from stakeholders on which data integration options should be prioritised and piloted.

FAR 3: Farm assurance schemes need to reset and/or restate their decision-making structures to establish farmers as the driving voice in standards development

RT response (3): PRIORITY FOR RED TRACTOR

The input and contribution that farmers make to the development of our standards, governance structures and on our Board is of vital importance to Red Tractor. We acknowledge that more can be done to ensure farmers feel consulted, listened to and able to influence decision-making.

However, our Board and Sector Boards agree that as a whole supply chain assurance scheme, it’s important that decision making is a collaborative process balanced between all stakeholders - this was also recognised by the Campbell Tickell Review.

FAR 4: A new industry-led initiative must set out the future environmental ambitions for farm assurance, establishing this as an area of competitive advantage for UK farming

RT response (4):

Red Tractor accepts this really important area is for others to lead and is ready to support the sectors to help meet the environmental ambitions of UK farming, but only if we are asked to do so by all stakeholders within the sector.

FAR 5. The inclusion of regulatory requirements within farm assurance standards and audits should be conditional on government and regulators agreeing a form of ‘earned recognition’

RT response (5):

Red Tractor welcomes the suggestion of inclusion of earned recognition in government policies and agrees this important area requires a cross-industry approach to open the door. We would welcome the opportunity to work with regulatory agencies to identify further opportunities for earned recognition that would reduce audit burden for Red Tractor assured farms.

We do not agree with the broad statement that regulatory requirements should only be included in farm assurance standards in return for Government ‘earned recognition’ as many of these will also be vital to deliver core elements of assurance (e.g. food safety, animal welfare, traceability etc) and the right approach will differ depending on the sector.

FAR 6: There must be greater coordination in the way in which farm assurance operates across the UK nations

RT response (6):

Red Tractor is committed to ongoing collaboration with Welsh, Scottish, and Northern Irish farming bodies and assurance schemes to ensure we understand and reflect devolved regulatory requirements in our scheme, maximise efficiency across the different assurance operations and identify opportunities for earned recognition of common standards.

FAR 7: Farm assurance schemes must better position the UK farming industry in world food markets and in competition with imported food

RT response (7):

Red Tractor agrees this is an important area for the UK farming industry and looks forward to working with AHDB, farming unions and organisations, farmers, processors and government to promote British food both overseas and in the UK.

We recognise this is particularly important for the crops sector and are committed to playing our part to establish how best to address the import equivalence challenge for that sector. We welcome the recommendations for others to lead to provide more transparency about standards for imported food.

FAR 8: All farm assurance schemes must review, and, where necessary, improve their methods of communication with the farming industry

RT response (8): PRIORITY FOR RED TRACTOR

Red Tractor is totally committed to ensuring that farmers see, hear and feel real change. We are also focusing on improving how we communicate, particularly with farmers and growers, and embedding this into our leadership culture. We will implement a new communications strategy focused on building trust and engagement with farmers.

FAR 9: The RT scheme must complete the implementation of recommendations in the Campbell Tickell report

RT response (9): PRIORITY FOR RED TRACTOR

Since the publication of the Campbell Tickell report we’ve published a Governance Handbook, introduced a Board Member Code of Conduct, developed a process for Directors’ appraisals and reviewed the Risk Register.

We will publish a briefing on how we’ve delivered the governance recommendations from the report by the end of May 2025.