Message from Tim Lock, Dairy Sector Chair, Red Tractor
Dear Members,
The primary purpose of the recent Dairy Sector Board meeting was to discuss the work of the Dairy Technical Advisory Committee reviewing the Red Tractor Dairy Standards. We were pleased to welcome Georgina Grimes who joins as a new board member representing small/medium sized first purchasers from Yeo Valley and who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience.
The Dairy Board was pleased to welcome Red Tractor’s new CEO, Paul McLaughlin, to the meeting. His attendance provided a valuable opportunity to discuss the wider direction of travel for Red Tractor and the continued importance of sector-led decision making.
Paul shared his early priorities as CEO, with a strong focus on engaging directly with farmers, processors and retailers. He set out a clear ambition for Red Tractor to be trusted by farmers, chosen by markets and understood by consumers. Importantly, the discussion reinforced that standards must remain industry-defined, with Sector Boards and Technical Advisory Committees at the heart of decision-making.
Animal handling training
The Dairy Board discussed a proposal from a subgroup, including AHDB, to explore a baseline approach to animal handling training across the dairy sector. This reflects the need to recognise existing good practice while ensuring there is a clear and consistent approach that works in practice for diary farmers.
The board agreed to support further scoping work by AHDB, with the aim of developing a practical, industry-wide approach that reflects current farm practice and supply chain expectations.
Farmer sentiment
Director of Communications, Jo Miller presented to the board a summary from the latest Post Assessment Survey and Farmer Sentiment Survey data from dairy members. Encouragingly, dairy farmer sentiment is more positive than the industry average, with 36% of dairy members expressing a positive view of Red Tractor and 29% remaining neutral.
Assessors also continue to be rated highly for professionalism, expertise and fairness, and nearly half of the 226 dairy members surveyed since January, 47% have used the Red Tractor portal, with the majority rating it good or excellent.
Standards Review – where are we now
After a significant amount of work involving farmers, industry representatives and technical experts, I am pleased to say that the Dairy Board has now approved the proposed Dairy Standards and agreed that they should move forward to consultation.
This has been a detailed and collaborative process, led by the Technical Advisory Committee, with input from across the supply chain. More than 1,100 man-hours have been invested through online and in-person sessions, with every standard reviewed line by line to ensure it remains relevant, proportionate and fit for purpose.
The aim throughout has been to make sure the standards continue to reflect modern farming practice, reduce audit burden and ensure they are shaped by those working in the industry.
What this means in practice
In practical terms, the review has delivered a reduction in the overall number of standards and audit points combined. This should make a clearer, more proportionate assessment experience for farmers.
The review has focused on improving how requirements are presented and assessed to make the audit process less burdensome. The work has focused on removing duplication, improving clarity and ensuring the standards are easier to navigate and apply in practice.
At the same time, the Dairy Board is clear that we must continue to uphold the integrity and robustness of Red Tractor and the dairy industry, ensuring standards still deliver confidence for the supply chain and consumers.
The TAC is also exploring a move to a more proportionate approach to assurance. This would mean recognising good compliance while allowing assessments to be more targeted, with lighter audits for consistently strong performers and greater scrutiny where there are repeat non-conformances.
Consultation – the opportunity to have your say
The next step in the process is consultation. The proposed standards are expected to go out to full member consultation in the autumn, following review by the Standards Committee in July.
When this opens, you will have the opportunity to:
- look through the proposed changes in detail
- provide feedback on what works and what does not
- highlight anything that does not reflect real farm practice
- suggest where further improvements can be made.
This is an important stage and part of our commitment to making the process as open and industry led as possible.
This consultation is an important part of Red Tractor’s commitment to taking onboard feedback and your opportunity to influence the outcome and ensure the standards work in practice for you.
I strongly encourage you to take part. This is not simply a formality; your feedback will directly shape what the final set of standards look like.
Looking ahead
I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the standards review so far and, in particular, extend my thanks to Jemma for the huge amount of work she has put in throughout this process. This has genuinely been an industry-led process, with a huge amount of time, effort and expertise invested to get to this point.
We will be in touch again soon with further details on how to take part in the consultation and have your say.
Chair, Red Tractor Dairy Sector Board
Dairy Sector Board Members:
- Tim Lock – Chair
- Peter Dawson – Dairy UK
- Ian Harvey – NFU England and Wales
- Alice Miller – British Cattle Veterinary Association
- Murray Patrick – NFU Scotland
- Paul Dover – Processor
- Richard Collins – Processor
- Amy Jackson – TAC Chair
- Tom Atkins – Multiple Retailer
- Joseph Keating – BRC
- Mervyn Gordon – UFU
- Mark Booking – Processor
- Neville Graham – Processor
- Georgina Grimes – Processor
- Jonathan Wilkinson – NFU England and Wales
- Paul Flanagan – AHDB