Red Tractor Board of Directors
The Red Tractor Board of Directors (The Board) is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of Red Tractor. It provides oversight of the organisation and ensures that Red Tractor remains focused on its Vision & Purpose of ensuring that UK produce is safe, traceable and farmed with care.
Roles and responsibilities
The Board brings insights and experience across the supply chain to inform and develop the organisation’s Vision, Purpose, Business Plan, Strategies and Objectives.
Objectives:
- Governance oversight – ensuring Red Tractor operates in accordance with its governing documents, legal requirements and governance best practice.
- Strategic planning – setting the strategic direction of Red Tractor and approving plans to achieve its objectives.
- Financial stewardship – overseeing financial performance, approving budgets and ensuring appropriate financial controls.
- Risk management – overseeing the identification, assessment and management of risks that could affect Red Tractor’s objectives, reputation or stakeholders.
- Stakeholder engagement – managing effective relationships with members, partners, regulators and other key stakeholders.
- Implementation – delegating responsibility for the day-to-day management of Red Tractor and delivery of the business plan to the executive team, led by the CEO.
The Directors
The Board is made up of 16 Directors, representing the full spectrum of food and farming in the UK.
Alistair Mackintosh, Chair
Alistair has a flock of 1,500 breeding ewes and a herd of 100 beef sucklers across 650 rented acres in Ravenglass, Cumbria. He is a strong supporter of Red Tractor and believes that a robust assurance scheme will give consumers confidence to buy British.
This is something he believes will become increasingly important for UK farming. He says farmers, stakeholders and trade associations must now work together to re-establish the core values of what the tractor stands for. Alistair believes this will ensure farmers don’t view farm assurance as a regulatory burden and instead see what it does for their businesses.
Sector Chair Directors
Beef & Lamb: John Dracup
John joined the Red Tractor Board in March 2022 and has more than 30 years’ experience in British agriculture and the food processing industry. Alongside running a successful beef and lamb family farm in Devon, he has pioneered electronic livestock auctions and managed the livestock division of one of the UK’s largest beef and lamb processors. John also serves as Strategy Director of The Royal Smithfield Club, bringing extensive industry knowledge and leadership to the Board.
Dairy: Tim Lock
Tim brings extensive experience from across the dairy industry, having held roles with the NFU National Dairy Board and served as Chair of the NFU’s Chichester branch. He previously ran a mixed family farming business in West Sussex, giving him first-hand knowledge of farming and the wider dairy supply chain. Tim has also chaired the M&S National Milk Pool and brings a wealth of practical experience and industry insight to his role at Red Tractor.
Crops & Sugar Beet: Julian Sturdy
Julian has more than 30 years’ experience as an arable farmer, managing a 750-acre farm in North Yorkshire. Alongside his farming career, he has served as a Member of Parliament representing rural communities and advocating for British agriculture. As a grower of combinable crops and sugar beet, Julian has first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. He brings a strong understanding of farming, rural policy and agricultural business to his role.
Pigs: Stewart Houston
Stewart has extensive experience in agriculture, livestock and public policy. He has served as a non-executive member of the Food Standards Agency Board, chaired the British Pig Executive, and been a board member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). He has also served on the Scottish Agricultural College board and was Executive Director of the National Pig Association. Stewart currently sits on Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Board for England, advising ministers on animal health and welfare policy.
Poultry: Nick Major
Nick brings extensive executive and non-executive experience across the agricultural supply industry. He spent 38 years with animal feed company ForFarmers, holding senior sales, marketing, management and corporate affairs roles, where he led the development of its sustainability strategy. Nick has also held numerous board, trustee and advisory positions, including Chairman of the Agricultural Industries Confederation and Chair of the Global Feed LCA Institute. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
Fresh Produce: Veryan Bliss
Veryan has more than 30 years’ of experience across the global fresh produce supply chain, with expertise in growing, packing, technical assurance, innovation and governance. She held senior leadership roles at Suncrop Produce for over 20 years before founding Food Intelligence Limited in 2022. Veryan joined the Red Tractor Fresh Produce Board in 2019 and is also a non-executive director of The Andersons Centre and a trustee of the East of England Agricultural Society, bringing extensive industry and governance experience.
Industry Directors
Farm Unions: Paul Tompkins
Paul is a Yorkshire dairy farmer and former financial services professional who joined the family farming business after meeting his wife. He combines hands-on experience running a large dairy enterprise with more than a decade representing producers at a national level. A long-serving member and a former Chair of the NFU Dairy Board, Paul has championed sustainable, resilient farming through periods of market, regulatory and trade change. In February 2026, he was elected NFU Deputy President.
AHDB: Will Jackson
Will is AHDB’s Divisional Director for Engagement and Strategy. Raised on a dairy farm in Derbyshire, he brings a strong understanding of the agricultural sector and supply chain. Before joining AHDB, he was Senior Agricultural Manager at Co-op, with responsibility for beef, lamb and poultry supply chains. He has also gained extensive experience working with farmers and retailers during his time at Arla Foods. Will combines practical farming knowledge with broad industry and commercial expertise.
British Meat Processing Association: Dean Holroyd
Dean has more than 35 years’ experience in the food manufacturing sector across a range of categories. For the past decade, he has focused on the red meat industry as Technical and Sustainability Director at ABP Food Group, supporting operations across its divisions and international markets. His role also includes oversight of ABP’s agricultural activities, including UK farming operations. Dean is a director of the Food Industry Intelligence Network and co-chairs IGD’s Technical Directors Forum.
British Retail Consortium: Natalie Smith
Natalie Smith brings extensive expertise in sustainable agriculture and food supply chain stewardship to her role as a Red Tractor board member representing the interests of UK retailers. She is Head of Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries at Tesco, a position she has held since 2019 and has led Tesco’s agriculture strategy since 2019, driving initiatives to enhance sustainability and resilience across the retailer’s agricultural supply chains.
British Poultry Council: David Neilson
David Neilson is the Agriculture and Commercial Sales Director at Avara Foods, a role he has held since May 2025. With more than 25 years’ experience in the poultry and agriculture sectors, he has built expertise across chicken, turkey and duck production. Starting his career at 16 in a turkey processing factory, David later earned a BSc in Environmental Technology and moved into farm management. He has since progressed through a range of senior leadership roles and is an active contributor to the British Poultry Council.
Independent Directors
Vet: James Russell
James is a respected leader within the veterinary profession, having held a number of roles with the British Veterinary Association, served on the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England, and been appointed Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Nottingham. Over several decades, he has worked closely with Red Tractor producers and has been widely recognised for his contribution to improving animal health, particularly through efforts to tackle Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) and Bovine Tuberculosis (TB).
Vice Chair: John Pain
John joined the Board in January 2020. He holds a degree in Agricultural Economics from Newcastle University and an MBA from the University of Leicester. His career includes senior roles with major brands including Sainsbury’s, Nabisco, Diageo and KFC GB. He later served as the Marketing Director at Taco Bell USA. John subsequently held leadership roles at Compass Group UK & Ireland and Wendy’s APEMEA region. He is currently Vice Chairman of KFC Philippines.
Finance: Chris Goodwin
Chris is a Chartered Certified Accountant who joined the Board in December 2016. He has held senior leadership positions as both CFO and CEO across a range of industry sectors. Most recently, he served as CFO of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), having previously been CEO of the NFU’s commercial subsidiary. Chris now works as a non-executive director and business adviser, supporting organisations across the public and private sectors with strategic and financial leadership.
CEO: Paul McLaughlin
Paul McLaughlin is Chief Executive of Red Tractor, the UK’s largest food and farm assurance scheme. He has extensive leadership experience across food, farming, assurance and standards. Beginning his career with Mars and The Coca-Cola company, he later led Scotland Food & Drink and fresh produce business Scotty Brand. Paul has also served as CEO of the Building Engineering Services Association and Chief Commercial Officer at the Rail Safety & Standards Board, where he oversaw the transformation of a major assurance scheme. He is also a Trustee of The Gold Standard Framework.
Red Tractor Governance Handbook
For more information about Red Tractor’s governance please refer to the handbook.
Learn about priorities for each sector
Beef & Lamb
Crops & Sugar Beet
Dairy
Fresh Produce
Pigs
Poultry
Governance
Ownership Body
Red Tractor Leadership Team
