By demonstrating good compliance with Red Tractor standards you are meeting the requirements of partner agencies, UK regulators and industry voluntary initiatives. As a result, you are rewarded with less frequent enforcement inspections. This ‘earned recognition’ is an important and little understood way in which we support you.

How is Red Tractor eligible for earned recognition agreements?  

Red Tractor uses independent Certification Bodies to manage the day-to-day running the of sector schemes and carry out assessments against our standards on our behalf so we don’t mark our own homework. In addition, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) assesses all our certification bodies to ISO 17065, which means that their performance is monitored through annual office inspections and shadow audits. They also make sure that any changes we make to our standards are fully auditable. With all this in place, it means that the Red Tractor scheme meets the necessary requirements for earned recognition arrangements with regulators.  

Why don’t all food and farming schemes have this arrangement?  

This system only works if regulators are confident the scheme is robust and worthy of recognition. All parties must be trusted and must work together to ensure audits are meaningful- and that the scheme can demonstrate that it covers legal requirements and can share aggregated scheme data performance- We never share individual farm assessment data.  

What does it mean for me?  

When it works well, it is good for everyone involved and is a hidden benefit for you. It means fewer non-Red Tractor inspections than you would have otherwise had. It also means that regulators and enforcement bodies can focus their resources on farms where the level of legal compliance is unknown. These farms can pose a significant threat to the reputation of British Agriculture which in turn means the reputation of your business.  

View from a regulator  

A FSA representative said, “We are pleased to be working closely with Red Tractor to provide assurance that food carrying the logo is safe and is what it says it is. The arrangements we have in place for approving assurance schemes, and for ongoing data sharing, mean that members of these schemes benefit by having fewer inspections from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and local authorities.”  

View from a farmer 

A West Sussex Dairy Farmer “I’ve been a dairy farmer for more than30 years, and still remember the bi–annual Dairy Hygiene Inspectorate visit. Being Red Tractor assured means that today there is only one of these inspections every decade.” 

Other earned recognition partnerships.  

Earned recognition also applies in other areas where you are exempt from having to jump through additional hoops to access markets or to prove good farming practice. Registering as a recognised scheme for the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), is a streamlined approach to ensuring that crops and sugar beet members are automatically granted free access to the growing biofuels markets in the UK and across Europe – reducing bureaucracy, costs, and inspections.  

The Voluntary Initiative (VI) promotes the responsible use of pesticides and Red Tractor is key to helping the industry delivering this. By incorporating these goals within Red Tractor standards, we provide a verification that you are adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans and principles, lessening the likelihood of increased regulation.

The Farm Safety Foundation has developed a new tool that allows members to ensure their policy accurately reflects their farm make-up and activities, and the format allows those responsible to make amends as their business changes and grows. The format also supports communication, understanding and adoption of practices, to ensure on-site health and safety is available to all. Having an active Health & Safety policy is a must for all Red Tractor assured farms, as it encourages farm owners to think about potential risks and how to manage them.

The tool is free to use and can be accessed on the Yellow Wellies website.

This month Red Tractor will be celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, who has been a lifelong champion of the British countryside, farming and food standards. To mark the occasion, we have created a bunting-clad animation of a coronation street party with characters from our new advert. Like them, we will be joining millions of Brits to celebrate the best that Britain has to offer. And most importantly, we will be baking lots of cakes with Great British ingredients from Red Tractor farmers.

Red Tractor appoints Ed Knight as Head of Communications & Engagement

Ed Knight has been appointed as Red Tractor’s new Head of Communications & Membership Engagement.

Ed joins from change communications specialists, My Word Communications and was previously Head of GB Communications at Coca-Cola EuroPacific Partners, and Head of Media Relations at Ofcom.

Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ed to Red Tractor’s leadership team. He brings us directly relevant experience and the leadership skills to help us continue to improve our communications approach and energise our ongoing efforts to engage with Red Tractor members.”

Ed Knight said: “Red Tractor needs to communicate successfully with a broad range of different stakeholders and audiences. The organisation is at the heart of a sector facing some really important issues and challenges at the moment. I’m excited to get started with the team, and to continue the work of sharing more with members, licensees and consumers about what the Red Tractor logo offers them.

Red Tractor is the UK’s largest food standards scheme covering animal welfare, food safety, traceability, and environmental protection. Every year, Red Tractor assures the entire journey of £14 billion worth of food and drink, right across the supply chain, from farming and transportation to production and packing.

Working with experts in their fields, the programme ensures that families across Britain have access to safe, quality food that has been grown and reared in the UK to rigorous farming standards.

Red Tractor joins Yellow Wellies call to farmers: Take the time to notice others and make the time to talk.

7 February 2023: This week, Red Tractor has been supporting the Farm Safety Foundation’s Mind Your Head campaign, which is now in its sixth year and brings together 300 partners from across the industry to promote the importance of mental health in farming and rural communities. Research by the Farm Safety Foundation has shown that levels of mental health in farming are deteriorating, with 94% of farmers aged 40 and under citing poor mental health as one of the biggest problems facing the industry.

As part of this year’s Mind Your Head week-long campaign, the Foundation has also republished its popular farming mental health guide, The Little Book Of Minding Your Head. Now in its 5^th edition and free to download, the book is a valuable resource produced by The Farm Safety Foundation, detailing mental health conditions, signs to look out for, how to cope if you or someone you know is suffering with their mental health. The book also includes how you can access support across the country.

This year the Mind Your Head campaign has focused on 5 core themes:

It had to be you

Focusing on the isolation felt by farmers and those in rural communities, it is important for everyone to take and make time to notice yourself and others, and to ask each other the question: “Are you ok?”

Be active

This advice is as old as the hills, but the research shows that taking a walk each day can significantly help your mental wellbeing. The benefits range from managing stress and anxiety, clearing your head and improving your ability to problem solve. A daily walk can also improve sleep and increase happiness and self-esteem.

Take notice

Being present in the moment and taking notice of what is around you can help to improve your mental health, whether that be awareness of our own thoughts and feelings or taking notice of those in our community. We recognise that some farmers find it hard to talk, but there are organisations and people available to listen.

Keep Learning

Learning to take care of your mental health is equally as important as your physical health. NHS Research suggests learning new skills can improve your mental wellbeing, by boosting confidence and self-esteem, helping improve your sense of purpose and to connect with others. We can also learn from other industries. For instance, the construction industry has taken great steps in promoting good mental health by working to provide business owners and employees with the skills to take care of their own mental health, and how to identify those around them who may be struggling.

Give

At a time of economic uncertainty, rising living costs and increasing pressures within the industry, it is more important than ever that we work to support good mental health. You can help do this by supporting The Farm Safety Foundation and local rural mental health charities. More information on the core themes of the campaign and support available can be found on the Yellow Wellies website.

For more information and resources on support available to Red Tractor members and farmers, visit our support hub.

17 February 2023: Red Tractor Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Scheme has retained its Silver benchmark against SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment, reducing the audit burden for members and maximising market access. 

SAI Platform numbers some of the world’s most recognisable brands among its membership, including Coca-Cola, Mars, Nestlé, Molson Coors and Unilever. SAI Platform created the Farm Sustainability Assessment as a common benchmark for sustainable farming practice, enabling large, multi-national companies to validate sustainability across global supply chains.

Reflecting increasing demand to deliver products in the most sustainable way, SAI Platform recently uplifted its Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA 3.0). Despite the uplift, Red Tractor’s Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Scheme Standards have remained compliant with the Silver benchmark, demonstrating that Red Tractor standards continue to align with consumer demand for sustainability. The confirmation represents unbroken market access for Red Tractor members – particularly those growing sugar beet and malting barley – and continues to negate the requirement for additional non-Red Tractor assessments.

Red Tractor Chief Executive Jim Moseley commented:

“Red Tractor works hard to ensure its own standards are recognised by third party schemes and programmes. This latest confirmation from SAI Platform is brilliant news for growers and builds on last year’s decision by the European Commission to recognise Red Tractor for the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII). So, simply by being Red Tractor Assured, crops and sugar beet members can access all these markets without any additional assessments.”

Nick Morris, Head of Agriculture, British Sugar said:

“We have worked closely with Red Tractor and SAI Platform to support the benchmarking process. SAI is a used by a number of our large customers as part of their buying specifications. This is great news for our sugar beet growers – all of whom are Red Tractor assured – as it means their high standards of production are recognised by both without additional audits and assessments, and we can continue to market their products globally.”

Matt Culley, NFU Crops Board Chair commented:

“UK consumers and businesses want to buy food which is sustainable and contributes to the country’s transition to a low carbon economy. This SAI Platform earned recognition is good news for growers as it minimises audit burden and helps drives domestic and export demand for British grown crops. I am glad to see it follow the UK Flour Millers’ recent endorsement of British Red Tractor assured crops and for assured growers to be getting the recognition they deserve.”