Message from Julian Sturdy, Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet Sector Chair, Red Tractor
Dear Members,
Our February meeting of the Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet Sector Board was kindly hosted by Heygates at their Northern flour mill. The tour was an excellent reminder of how Red Tractor-assured grain underpins high-quality UK flour and bakery products. My thanks to George Mason and the Heygates team for their time and hospitality.
Before the formal meeting, Joe Brennan from UK Flour Millers gave an overview of flour milling’s priorities, including resilience in the face of global instability and the implications of the EU Alignment SPS agreement for trade. He noted that around 85% of all milled flour in the UK is sourced from UK farm assured growers and that the sector makes a notable contribution to the UK’s economy.
Listening to members and reviewing strategy
Around the table, Board members reported what many of you are facing on farm: a very wet season, global instability having a knock-on effect in many supply chains, increased customer requirements, and very tight margins in the sector.
This was also reflected in your feedback on the draft Sector Strategy priorities for improvement to the Red Tractor Crops Scheme, which was open for six weeks. Overall, the feedback confirmed the priorities already identified by the Board: audit frequency, how we use data and digital tools, the future of segmentation, and concern about import standards and equivalence.
The underlying issues closely matched what this Board has been hearing over the last year and we will continue to seek your views via the farmer sentiment survey. This feedback will inform our next steps for crops assurance, including a comprehensive review of standards by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
Environmental pollution, water quality and regulation
We also considered environmental pollution issues, particularly water quality, in the context of the recent ASA ruling and campaigning by some NGOs. The Board agreed that enforcement of environmental law must remain with regulators such as the Environment Agency (EA). Red Tractor may, however, have a role in facilitating industry-led solutions and helping to secure earned recognition where this reduces duplication and unnecessary inspections.
The Board agreed that we should set out, in a clear briefing to the Sector Board, what environmental checks are already embedded in our standards. Red Tractor was also invited to participate in the cross-industry water quality group as an observer and will continue to champion what farmers already do.
Licensing, brand collaborations and communication
The Board heard how Red Tractor has been working with Carling to produce an educational “grain to glass” video on the value of Red Tractor-assured barley for their beer. Board members welcomed the film and agreed Red Tractor should seek further opportunities to demonstrate the value and build understanding of assured crops across the supply chain. There is interest in similar collaborations with the distilling sector.
Practical support and next steps
The Board received an update on new digital tools on the Red Tractor Member Portal, including the ability to upload geo-stamped photos to demonstrate conformity, a “documents shortlist” option to help growers prioritise which documents to upload and the ability to link third party templates. Red Tractor is also strengthening links with farm software providers to make compliance simpler and easier to manage.
Our priorities remain clear: protect food safety, preserve and grow market access for British crops and deliver demonstratable value back to farmers. Your continued feedback is essential as we take this work forward.
Best wishes,
Julian Sturdy
Red Tractor Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet Sector Chair
Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet Sector Board Members:
- Julian Sturdy – Chair
- Angela Bowden – Oilseed Crushers
- Jamie Burrows – Cereals grower
- James Mills – Cereals grower
- Matthew Culley – Cereals grower
- Julian South – MAGB
- Patrick Mitton – Pesticide Issues Consultant
- Brin Hughes – BOBMA
- Tom Wood – AIC/Grain Merchants
- Peter Chandley – Weetabix
- Sarah Woolford – AHDB
- Nick Morris – Sugar manufacturer
- Joe Brennan – UK Flour Millers
- Gill Barrow – AIC/Schemes
- John Scott – Sugar beet grower
- Alan King – TAC Chair
- Harriette Roberts – BRC