By Julian Sturdy, Red Tractor Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Chair.
Farmers and growers are no strangers to change. Whether driven by market demands or consumer expectations, the pressure to adapt is constant. Following last year’s farm assurance review (FAR) and Red Tractor’s announcement on a review of its standards, the industry is at a critical point – one that will determine how the scheme evolves to meet the demands of the farming sectors.
Standards that reflect unique needs and challenges
Growers have made it clear that the current system, with its overlapping standards and audit duplication, can feel more burdensome than beneficial. This review will look to streamline the assessment process, ensuring that each subsector – including crops and sugar beet – has standards that reflect its unique needs and challenges.
At the same time, the supply chain has shown a willingness to take a pragmatic approach, recognising growers’ concerns and the demand for an assurance scheme that works both on farm and for the end market.
Justified, necessary and fit for purpose
As a farmer and Chair of the Crops Sector Board, I’m actively facilitating these discussions across the supply chain to achieve consensus on the way forward. Both, the Sector Board and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) bring together a wide range of voices, with strong grower and NFU representation to ensure concerns are fully considered throughout the sector.
In the coming months, we’ll review each standard, line by line, to ensure that’s it’s justified, necessary and fit for purpose. If it isn’t, we won’t include it. As part of this work, we’re considering whether more tailored standards that recognise the diversity within our sector are appropriate. This structure could also help to address concerns regarding imports produced to lower standards, undercutting Red Tractor assured cereals, particularly in feed.
Alongside the standards themselves, the assessment model is also under scrutiny. We continue to discuss whether lower risk farms with a strong compliance record could have less frequent audits, submitting evidence of compliance in-between via the portal.
Fit for the future
I want to stress that engagement remains central to this process. Revised standards are expected to go out for formal consultation in the autumn when growers will have another opportunity to the shape the outcome.
This review is about more than just reducing bureaucracy; it’s about ensuring that the Red Tractor scheme remains fit for the future. My hope is that the end result is a system that supports the future of British agriculture while ensuring that our products continue to meet the expectations of consumers and industry alike.
This article was originally published in CPM Magazine in March 2026.