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.”