The proposals
What are they?
Why are we making them?
What do they mean for producers?
Right now, shoppers and diners are faced with too many logos and claims on packs and menus. It’s confusing and often unclear what each one means. Red Tractor’s updated labelling would:
Simplify the shopping experience
Offer a clear, trusted guide to how pork was produced
Provide reassurance that pork products, regardless of tier, meet high standards for animal welfare, safety, traceability, and the environment
And with Red Tractor being the UK’s most recognised and trusted farm assurance scheme, shoppers can feel confident in what they’re buying.
Outdoor-bred pig producers often have to join multiple assurance schemes, leading to extra audits and added costs.
By offering a single Red Tractor assurance option, producers can:
Streamline their certification
Cut down on duplicate audits
Reduce complexity and cost
This change supports Red Tractor’s commitment—following the Farm Assurance Review—to make on-farm audits simpler and more efficient.
Processors using multiple assurance logos currently pay two licence fees—and deal with more admin. Switching to Red Tractor’s Enhanced Welfare tier could:
Lower licensing costs
Simplify packaging and supply chain processes
As part of this work to develop the proposed Enhanced Welfare standard for the pigs sector, we benchmarked the core Red Tractor Pigs Scheme standards against the existing assurance requirements for outdoor-bred pork.
To ensure the new Enhanced Welfare tier is seen as equivalent and is thus widely accepted by customers across the supply chain, we’ve identified a few updates that need to be made to our core standards.
These proposals aren’t just about alignment with other assurance schemes for outdoor-bred pork, they also reflect best practice and were supported by Red Tractor’s Technical Advisory Committee as improvements that should apply to all members, not just those opting into the new tiers.
Of course, Red Tractor’s standards are always evolving. It’s important we continue to reflect the latest science, welfare knowledge, and customer expectations. But with the introduction of an Enhanced Welfare tier, keeping the core scheme strong and credible becomes even more essential.
For many producers, especially those already certified with another assurance scheme, these new proposals to the core standards are likely to be very familiar, if not already in place. In fact, most pig producers may find they’re already meeting many of them as part of their usual routines.
A few of the new proposals will only apply to members carrying out specific activities, such as transporting their own pigs. And importantly, we’ve worked to ensure minimal additional paperwork is involved.
There is growing industry momentum for a voluntary move to flexible farrowing systems, where sows are only temporarily confined during farrowing.
The National Pig Association is lobbying for this to be industry-led, rather than government-mandated.
Red Tractor has supported the pig industry’s voluntary initiatives before, like antibiotic use reporting, and could do the same here by providing clear standards for flexible farrowing.
Some retailers already offer financial incentives for switching to flexible systems. But without a shared industry standard, producers may face:
Conflicting requirements from different buyers
Increased complexity and uncertainty
By introducing a flexible farrowing specification, either as part of a new Certified Standards Plus tier, or as a standalone standard, Red Tractor could provide much-needed clarity and reassurance. A consistent approach would help align expectations across the supply chain and make it easier for producers to meet customer requirements with confidence.
The Certified Standards Plus tier would also offer indoor pig producers a way to demonstrate higher welfare practices beyond the current core standards, with the added benefit of independent third-party certification.
In time, this could support stronger market positioning and potentially help secure improved prices from customers.
That said, this is a rapidly evolving area. With ongoing uncertainty around Government legislation and the potential of grant funding to support the transition, the Red Tractor Pigs Board has decided not to launch this tier at the same time as the Enhanced Welfare and Free Range options later this year.
However, we are actively seeking your views through this consultation to help inform our next steps.
