29 Aug 2025

Communications specialist and researcher Dr Amy Jackson to Chair Dairy TAC

Dr Amy Jackson is a highly respected communications specialist and researcher with extensive experience in the UK dairy sector.

She is the founder of Oxtale, an agribusiness PR consultancy specialising in issues and crisis management, and has spent over two decades advising farming organisations, processors, and food businesses on reputation, conflict resolution and behaviour change, with a particular eye on building bridges with the public.

As well as serving as Head of Communications for the Milk Development Council, Amy has provided guidance on managing challenges around ‘megafarm’ projects, supported businesses at the centre of the horsemeat storm, and led the communications turnaround on antibiotic use in UK livestock for RUMA.

Her PhD at Nottingham Vet School examined public preferences for dairy farming in the UK, work which has changed the way she approaches difficult reputational challenges for the sector such as animal welfare, environmental performance and supply chain integrity.

She has also contributed her expertise to numerous technical and policy groups, helping shape practical, evidence-based approaches that balance high production standards with the commercial realities of farming across a broad range of systems.

On her appointment Amy said, ” I’m a strong believer in farm assurance, an evidence-based approach, and the power of a diverse group—which makes this role my perfect challenge. The TAC contains some very talented and knowledgeable people, and I’m committed to making sure that not only is everyone’s voice is heard, but we find robust ways forward on some very tricky technical challenges which lie ahead for the dairy sector.

On welcoming Amy to the role, Dairy Sector Board Chair Tim Lock said, “I am delighted that Dr. Amy Jackson has agreed to take over as Chair of the Red Tractor Dairy Technical Advisory Committee. Her wide experience across the whole dairy supply chain will be invaluable as we move forward to make sure our standards are relevant, robust, and fit for the future for farmer, processor and retailer.”

29 Aug 2025

Professor Jude Capper appointed Chair of the Beef & Lamb TAC

Jude is a well-known figure in the livestock sector, specialising in practical, science-led solutions that help beef and sheep farmers improve efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental performance.

Currently the ABP Chair of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production at Harper Adams University, she has nearly two decades of research and advisory experience.

A passionate advocate for evidence-based decision-making, Jude’s work focuses on developing practical, science-led solutions that improve efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental outcomes across the supply chain. Her expertise has shaped policy discussions, industry strategies, and consumer engagement on the role of livestock in sustainable food production.

Jude is also a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, and holds leadership positions within the industry, including Vice-Chair of the National Beef Association and Chair of the Route Panel for Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care at Skills England. She has also served on multiple advisory boards, working closely with farmers, processors, retailers, and policymakers.

With a long career in research and industry, Professor Capper believes the work of Red Tractor is hugely important, and vital to get right. As Chair of the Beef and Lamb TAC, Jude will also sit on the Beef and Lamb Sector Board. On her appointment Jude said:

“A sustainable, resilient food supply chain is dependent on trust, from the farmers who produce food through the processors and retailers to the consumers who buy it in the supermarket. To ensure that the UK food supply chain is sustainable, we must implement evidence-based, appropriate, applicable food assurance standards that are transparent and therefore maintain trust for all involved.

We know that our farm assurance schemes are incredibly robust compared to other global standards, but we must continue to examine their relevance and applicability and to ensure that they help producers to be better and more profitable, rather than adding to the burden of paperwork.

As global markets continue to put pressure on UK agriculture, we must demonstrate that we are making the right choices with respect to animal health and welfare, environmental protection, labour, documentation and food safety.”

29 Aug 2025

Be prepared: New rules for buying rodenticides from 2026

29 August 2025

If you use or buy professional rodenticides, there are some changes coming in from 1 January 2026.

From that date, the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticides Use (CRRU) will require users of rodenticides to show proof of competence when buying these products. These are not Red Tractor’s rules, but there are a couple of straightforward ways to qualify:

Complete a CRRU UK-approved training course (within the last 5 years),
OR
Be signed up to a CRRU UK-recognised CPD (Continuing Professional Development) scheme.

You’ll need to show this proof when buying rodenticides from 2026 onwards. These changes are part of updated rules being put in place to make sure rodenticides are used responsibly by everyone – including farmers, pest controllers, and gamekeepers.

You can find approved training courses and check recognised CPD schemes on the CRRU website.

29 Aug 2025

Barbara Bray MBE appointed chair of Fresh Produce TAC

Nuffield Scholar and leading nutritionist Barbara Bray MBE has been appointed as chair of Red Tractor’s Fresh Produce TAC.

Barbara is best known for her work in food safety, supply chains, and nutrition strategy.

She has held influential roles including director of the Oxford Farming Conference 2022, Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology, trustee of the Nutrition Society, and UN Committee for Food Security speaker.

She earned her Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2017 to study global food systems and completed a project on vegetable production for specific nutritional needs. In 2019, she was awarded an MBE for services to food. On her appointment to the role Barbara said,

“I’m pleased to have joined the Red Tractor Fresh Produce Technical Advisory Committee at such a key time for the organisation.

Red Tractor has entered a period of change and is committed to rebuilding and strengthening farmer trust in its standards development process.

I will ensure all voices in our sector are heard as we review food safety standards and welcome ideas that strengthen trust in UK food.”

05 Aug 2025

The Future of Assurance: Setting the path for improvement

Red Tractor has committed to delivering improvements including streamlining assessments and reducing audit burden.

Simon Thorpe, Senior Technical Manager at Red Tractor explains the work already underway to ensure meaningful change for farmers and growers.

The last four months have been a busy time for Red Tractor’s operations team. The entire team is working hard to put in place the building blocks to enable us to improve the value and experience of Red Tractor assurance for farmers and growers. We understand the eagerness of many members to see change happen as soon as possible.

While we’ve already been rolling out many operational changes, such as improvements to the Red Tractor Member Portal and communications, we’ve also been taking the time to ensure we’re set up to deliver meaningful changes to requirements and assessments that provide the improvements you’ve asked for. Some examples of the work we’ve been doing:

Effective decision-making
As a multi-stakeholder, not-for-profit organisation, Red Tractor’s operations are directed and informed by a wide range of experts sitting on Sector Boards, Technical Advisory Committees and the Board of Directors. These groups include representatives from each farming sector, and importantly the entire supply chain, helping to ensure that Red Tractor delivers value to all.

Throughout the past 24 years, Red Tractor has worked hard to balance the needs and views of all stakeholders including retailers, processors, farmers and governments. Achieving consensus between these often-opposing perspectives can, however, be challenging. As a result, we’ve been working hard to instil a spirit of collaboration, trust and shared values within these groups, to ensure they function effectively so that all perspectives are considered.

After thorough consultation with those sitting on Sector Boards, new Terms of Reference have been developed for each group detailing the roles and expectations of representatives. The Terms of Reference are now close to final and will be published over the summer. As we move forward to identify and deliver improvements, this common understanding will be essential to establishing consensus and taking account of impacts of changes throughout the supply chain.

Clear ground rules for standards setting
As we identify potential changes to Red Tractor’s requirements, we’re mindful that there needs to be consistency and alignment on what these changes aim to achieve. A new policy for the development of Red Tractor Standards has been developed to guide Red Tractor’s approach to all future standards and operational reviews. This policy includes a clear vision and purpose for Red Tractor together with principles which will act as our north star for standards setting.

These include principles of clarity, practicality and objectivity of standards and assessment, together with a key focus on British provenance, food safety and animal welfare. The policy will be published on our website and available to all stakeholders as we work together to identify potential improvements.

Developing sector-specific strategies
Recognising that different farming sectors require different approaches, we’re developing sector-specific strategies that identify the priorities and objectives for that sector over the coming months and years. These strategies will take onboard feedback from stakeholders and set a path for delivering changes.

While all sectors will take stock of current scheme content and approach, focus and priorities will differ by sector. We can already see some sectors focusing on streamlining standards while others are placing greater emphasis on integrating technology or seeking to reduce overall audit burden.

Each Sector Board will take into account the need for meaningful consultation with opportunities for members to input into decision-making.

Initial discussions about these strategies took place during the July Sector Board meetings (find out more in the Sector Board summaries). Taking onboard initial feedback, we’ll be sharing more detailed strategies for consideration by Sector Boards in September, after which we hope to be able to share more details on the direction of travel within each sector.

As expressed in our response to the Farm Assurance Review, we’re committed to making change happen while prioritising key issues, allowing time for consultation and collaboration, and balancing speed with rigour. 

Keep up to date with our progress in delivering our commitments at redtractor.org.uk/FAR.

Recent Stories…

Communications specialist and researcher Dr Amy Jackson to Chair Dairy TAC

Professor Jude Capper appointed Chair of the Beef & Lamb TAC

Be prepared: New rules for buying rodenticides from 2026

Barbara Bray MBE appointed chair of Fresh Produce TAC

Red Tractor Launches New TV Advert: ‘With You For 25 Years’

Upholding Red Tractor Standards  

05 Aug 2025

Backing British beef: Retailers come out in full support of Red Tractor

With speculation around the UK trade negotiations, British retailers are standing firm in their commitments to sourcing Red Tractor assured British beef.

Lidl GB, Waitrose, Co-op, Aldi and Tesco have all reaffirmed their policies for sourcing British beef assured by Red Tractor. These commitments are a welcome vote of confidence in the dedication, quality, and high standards of our beef-producing members.

Speaking to the Press Association, Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland said: “…100 per cent of our everyday fresh beef, pork and poultry is sourced from British farms… We won’t lower our standards even if others do. This isn’t just about food safety. It’s about protecting British farmers and doing the right thing for our customers.”

Waitrose reported a surge in demand for British-grown food with sales of British beef up 193% compared to this time last year.

Jake Pickering, Head of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries at Waitrose & Partners, said: “Our customers are telling us they want to support UK producers, and we’re proud to be a retailer that champions them every step of the way.”

Richard Bourns, Lidl GB chief commercial officer, who wrote to Red Tractor confirming the retailers’ confidence in Red Tractor assurance, said: “British farming is recognised globally for its high standards of animal welfare, food safety and environmental stewardship. At Lidl, we know these values matter to our customers, which is why we proudly support and champion British agriculture.”

These commitments demonstrate a strong, united front among leading UK retailers and send a powerful message of confidence in the integrity of UK farming and the assurance schemes that underpin it.

Speaking at the time of the Lidl GB commitment, Red Tractor Chair, Alistair Mackintosh, called on others to follow suit.

Consumer demand for British produce was also confirmed by Red Tractor’s latest Trust in Food Index. The research, commissioned to reinforce calls for retailers and the government to back British, revealed that 94% of people trust food produced in the UK. For food from the US, trust drops to just a third.

Consumers have made it clear: they value food that reflects British values of local, safe, and responsibly produced. This is supported by three quarters of main shoppers saying they recognise the Red Tractor logo and see it as an independent marque they can trust. Undermining these expectations risks eroding UK consumers’ confidence in food safety and standards that British farmers and assurance bodies have worked so hard to earn.

We thank these retailers for leading by example and demonstrating their continued support for British beef. We will keep pressing for others to follow suit because, we know that supporting British farming is not only good for business – it is essential for trust in our food system.

Recent Stories…

Communications specialist and researcher Dr Amy Jackson to Chair Dairy TAC

Professor Jude Capper appointed Chair of the Beef & Lamb TAC

Be prepared: New rules for buying rodenticides from 2026

Barbara Bray MBE appointed chair of Fresh Produce TAC

Red Tractor Launches New TV Advert: ‘With You For 25 Years’

Upholding Red Tractor Standards  

16 Jul 2025

Reflections on the UK Food Strategy

Jim Mosely, CEO Red Tractor

16 July 2025

Yesterday, the UK Government published its Food Strategy for England, focusing on healthier and more affordable food, good growth, sustainable and resilient supply and vibrant food cultures.

The strategy provides a framework for policy development, but there will be much work to do in understanding how it can be delivered.

At Red Tractor, we’re very supportive of a comprehensive food strategy that supports local food systems, domestic production and upholds British standards. We welcome all opportunities to work with the Government to understand the role of assurance in delivering the strategy.

Just last Thursday, I had the opportunity to hear from the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner and to extend this offer of support and collaboration. I joined a small group of farmers, growers, processors and branded food manufacturers at a dinner hosted by Mills & Reeve – one of the country’s largest legal firms in terms of food, beverage and agriculture. During the meeting Daniel Zeichner spoke on subjects as varied as gene editing, planning decisions and the Food Strategy.

I took the opportunity to impress upon the Minister both the importance and the potential of the UK’s agri-food industry. Boasting some of the highest standards of food safety and animal welfare in the world, our industry is one to be proud of. With the right tools it can be a major contributor to Government’s aims of increased food security and growth through exports.

However, Government needs to give the industry the respect and trust that it deserves and listen to those stakeholders that can drive growth. Policies should be based on market opportunities and facts not on anti-farming opinions. Planning decisions should be taken at the highest level – ensuring national objectives are taken into account – and not by parish councils. Labelling and food choice should be driven by consumer research not activist pressure. I also talked of the value of assurance to the food chain and to Government – a message that was well received and that we must build on with this Administration.    