The ASA ruling, published 15 October 2025, relates to an old Red Tractor advert that was first aired in 2021. It follows a complaint made by River Action in 2023 that was based on an inaccurate interpretation of Environment Agency (EA) data.
As explained to the ASA at that time, the then Head of Agriculture at the EA, Kevin Austin confirmed that the data had been misinterpreted. Red Tractor has since spent more than two years cooperating fully with the ASA’s investigation and defending its position.
Commenting on the ASA ruling to uphold the complaint, Red Tractor’s CEO, Jim Moseley said:
“The ASA has been considering this complaint for over two years, during which time they’ve flipped from not upholding to upholding.
“We believe the ASA’s final decision is fundamentally flawed and misinterprets the content of our advert. If the advert was clearly misleading, it wouldn’t have taken so long to reach this conclusion. Accordingly, the ASA’s actions are minimal. They’ve confirmed that we can continue to use ‘Farmed with Care’ but simply need to provide more information on the specific standards being referred to, such as a link to our website.
“The advert, which is now almost 5 years old, was last broadcast in 2023 and focused on Red Tractor’s standards for traceability, food safety and animal welfare. It made no environmental claim, and we completely disagree with the assumption that it would have been misinterpreted by consumers.
“While we fully respect the ASA’s role, we are concerned about the process they’ve followed. First, rather than use the accepted ‘average consumer test’ the ASA has used their own judgement that a ‘minority of informed consumers’ may misinterpret the advert. We believe this is an error in law and certainly a departure from normal practice. Second, we’re concerned that the use of pastoral imagery (in CGI) in conjunction with messages about responsible farming, is treated as an implicit environmental claim. Both concerns could have serious implications for other advertisers, particularly in the field of food and farming.”
Red Tractor’s new advert has been thoroughly vetted to ensure no implied claims.
Tractor does not seek to replace, or duplicate environmental regulation
Red Tractor’s core standards relate to food safety, animal welfare and traceability. Environmental requirements form a minor part of Red Tractor’s standards and do not cover all environmental legislation. Therefore, data on compliance with environmental regulation should not be confused with farms’ compliance with Red Tractor’s requirements. As the regulator, it is the Environment Agency’s responsibility to ensure the law is being met.
All 42,000 Red Tractor assured farms are audited every 12-18 months and cannot continue to be assured unless they meet all requirements in Red Tractor’s standards. This is in contrast to the Environment Agency, which until recently inspected around 3,000 farms a year.
Red Tractor’s data shows that from November 2021 to May 2023, 98.8% Red Tractor farmers were compliant with our requirements for environmental protection. Where a non-conformance was uncovered, a farm had a maximum of 28 days to address the inspector’s concern, or face further sanction.
Red Tractor is a voluntary assurance scheme operating completely independently from the Environment Agency and UK government. However, the investigation seems to have conflated Red Tractor Standards with the role of the Environment Agency in enforcing environmental regulations, about which we make no claim.
The advert makes two simple claims: that Red Tractor “standards are met”, and that food is “farmed with care.” These are clear references to Red Tractor’s own standards for animal welfare, traceability and food safety – as approved by Clearcast in 2021 and 2023 – not to environmental law or Environment Agency regulations. Neither the voiceover, nor the script, nor the imagery makes any environmental claim.
Background information
Advert voice over
“Farmed with care, that’s the Red Tractor way. A label to trust, found on food every day. This promise is kept by the checks put in place, to care for our animals with the right food and space. Our cows have a health plan, and a personal vet, from field to store all our standards are met. When the Red Tractor’s there, your food’s farmed with care”.
Images from the advert
