13 Mar 2026

Red Tractor appoints new Chief Executive

Paul McLaughlin has been appointed Chief Executive of Red Tractor, the UK’s largest food and farm assurance scheme.

Paul McLaughlin has a distinguished career spanning food, farming and assurance. He started out in food manufacturing, working with Mars and The Coca-Cola Company before becoming the inaugural Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink where he brought together producers, processors and retailers. As Managing Director of fresh produce business, Scotty Brand, he oversaw the supply of a wide range of products including potatoes, carrots, fruit and meat to the UK’s major grocery retailers. He has also held leadership roles at the Building Engineering Services Association and most recently at the Rail Safety & Standards Board where he led the transformation of a major assurance scheme.

A scheme that works hard for farmers and growers

Talking about his appointment, Paul McLaughlin said: “British farming is the backbone of our food system, and the farmers and growers who meet the Red Tractor standard deserve a scheme that works as hard for them as they work for us. I want Red Tractor to be something that farmers can be genuinely proud of and that retailers and consumers trust completely. I’ll be doing a lot of listening first, and then getting to work.”

Alistair Macintosh, Chair of Red Tractor said: “Paul brings a unique blend of experience working within food, assurance and multistakeholder organisations. He really impressed the interview panel with his considered and strategic approach to leadership and demonstrated the dynamism needed to drive continued improvement at Red Tractor. I very much look forward to welcoming him to the Red Tractor team.”

Joining Red Tractor at a pivotal time

Paul’s appointment follows a comprehensive, open recruitment process and was ratified by Red Tractor’s Board of Directors on 13 March 2026. He joins Red Tractor at a pivotal time for the organisation as it continues to review its standards and deliver its vision to be the pride of British food and farming.

Paul will take up the role on 5 May, enabling him to work alongside Red Tractor’s outgoing CEO, Jim Moseley, before Jim retires at the end of May.

Paul will join Red Tractor’s Board of Directors, working alongside industry, sector and independent directors representing the full breadth of UK food and farming.

Following the recent NFU elections, Paul Tompkins, NFU Deputy President has also joined the Board to represent the farming unions. He replaces outgoing director, David Exwood.

Read Paul McLaughlin’s answers to questions about what bought him to the role at Red Tractor

13 Mar 2026

Crops standards review “is about more than just reducing bureaucracy”

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.

Find out more about Crops standards

02 Mar 2026

Support for farming communities in Northern Ireland

Red Tractor is proud to promote Rural Support NI’s campaign to raise funds to support farmers and their families in Northern Ireland.

A lifeline for those in need

The one-day fundraising challenge, ‘Spring Forward Give Back’ takes place on 7 March. The charity is hoping at least 100 people or businesses will raise £1,000 each on the day. The collective target of £100,000 will enable Rural Support to support those in the farming industry at a time of growing pressure and uncertainty.

Demand for Rural Support’s services continue to grow rapidly. All funds raised will go towards helping provide practical, financial and emotional support, which will act as a vital lifeline for those in need.

A real and lasting difference

Alistair Mackintosh, Chair of Red Tractor, says: “We’re pleased to stand with the farming community in Northern Ireland. The funds raised by Rural Support NI will make a real and lasting difference to those facing financial stress, emotional pressure and uncertainty. It’s a fantastic initiative and Red Tractor encourages local people and businesses to get involved.”

There are many ways to get involved, from taking on a personal challenge or rallying friends and family to raise funds in the lead-up to 7 March.

Access support from farming charities across the UK:

Farming Community Network (FCN) – Pastoral and practical support, helpline 7am-11pm every day. t: 03000 111 999
YANA Project – Confidential mental health support and counselling funding in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Worcestershire. t: 0300 323 0400
DPJ Foundation – Welsh mental health charity to support those in agriculture with mental health problems. t: 0800 587 4262
RABI – Financial support for farming families facing hardship. t: 0800 188 4444
Addington Fund – Housing and hardship grants for farming families in England and Wales. t: 01926 620135
RSABI (Scotland) – Practical, financial, and emotional support for those in Scottish agriculture. t: 0808 1234 555
Rural Support (NI) – Provides impartial support and guidance for the farming community in Northern Ireland. t: 0800 138 1678

Support the NI farming community

02 Mar 2026

Broiler growers invited to support new research on AI technology and farm assurance

Red Tractor is pleased to highlight an honours research project being conducted by a final-year Veterinary Bioscience student at Harper Adams University, exploring how emerging technologies could support the future of farm assurance. The research will inform the upcoming review of the Red Tractor Poultry Standards and the scheme’s approach to how new technologies may support farm assurance in future.

AI technology to support auditors

Daisy Cooper’s dissertation aims to understand how broiler farmers feel about current audit processes, as well as their views on using artificial intelligence (AI) camera systems to complement assurance audits. The project focuses specifically on how data from AI technologies could support auditors – not replace them – to provide continuous, objective insights. Daisy spent her Harper Adams placement year working with the Red Tractor Standards Team.

To gather real-world perspectives, Daisy is inviting UK broiler farmers and anyone working with broiler chickens (aged 18+) to complete a short, anonymous survey. The questionnaire takes around 10 minutes and offers producers the chance to share honest feedback on farm audits, technology use, and any concerns or opportunities they see.

Your chance to share feedback on innovative tools

This research is highly relevant as the sector considers how innovative tools could ease audit pressures, strengthen evidence gathering, and support both farmers and assurance bodies. Input from broiler producers will help ensure any future developments remain practical, farmer-focused and grounded in real on-farm experience.

The survey will remain open until the end of March 2026. Click here to take part.

By taking part in the survey, producers will be contributing directly to work that may help shape industry discussions and future assurance practices, and feed into the upcoming review of the Red Tractor Poultry Standards.

For further information, Daisy can be contacted at: 22005700@live.harper.ac.uk

26 Feb 2026

Support for building farming’s resilience at NFU Conference

Five of Red Tractor’s sector chairs were pleased to meet farmers and growers at the NFU Conference in Birmingham this week. The theme of the conference was building farming’s resilience, with discussions on food security, trade, government strategy, and supply chain resilience.

How assurance can better support farmers and growers

For Red Tractor, this event provided an important opportunity to hear directly from farmers and growers about how assurance can better support them. Conversations covered practical issues, such as assessment consistency, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, recognising good practice, and ensuring standards remain both robust and proportionate.

The conference also reaffirmed the role that credible, independent standards for British food play in securing markets, building trust and responding to growing demand for homegrown healthy food.

Modernise assurance while keeping farmers at its core

Alistair Mackintosh, Chair of Red Tractor said: “The NFU Conference is a really valuable opportunity to connect with the farming industry and understand current and future challenges. Reoccurring themes of trade resilience, standards, pollution prevention and digital innovation, closely align with Red Tractor’s ongoing work to modernise assurance while keeping farmers at its core.

“The insight, challenges and constructive feedback we received will help inform the next phase of Red Tractor’s development as we work to deliver an assurance scheme that is trusted, fair and fit for the future of UK farming.”

19 Feb 2026

Red Tractor launches new portal features to ease audit burden for farmers

Red Tractor has introduced three major improvements to its member portal, designed to reduce assessment preparation time, stress and paperwork burden for farmers and growers.

The updates allow members to take live, geo-stamped photos directly within the portal as compliance evidence, using their mobile phone.

Instead of manually recording tasks on paper, like cleaning the grain store or changing milk liners, the portal automatically captures location, date and time data, creating an instant record and demonstrating due diligence.

Making the portal work around how farms actually operate

Philippa Wiltshire, Director of Standards and Operations at Red Tractor says: “This addresses a genuine frustration farmers and growers have shared, which is maintaining paper records for routine tasks that could be evidenced far more efficiently.

“This is about making the portal work around how farms actually operate.”

Further improvements include a new shortlist function which flags ‘high impact’ documents for uploading prior to assessments, plus embedded links to third-party templates, such as Yellow Wellies’ health and safety resources.

Preparation time where it matters most

Mrs Wiltshire added: “To help reduce the time spent preparing for audits, we’ve worked with the certification bodies to identify which documents will have the biggest impact on a farmer’s physical assessment. These can be seen on the portal using a simple toggle button.”

Importantly, these changes will not affect access to farm data either by Red Tractor or the portal developer Map of Ag, Mrs Wiltshire assures.

“Farmers and growers’ control of data is crucial and remains at the forefront of any enhancements we make to the system.

“In addition, individuals retain full choice over whether and how they use these features.”

Integrating standards compliance into systems farmers already use

Beyond its own portal, Red Tractor is working with third-party software providers to integrate standards compliance into systems farmers already use.

New crops checklists developed with MeritAgCheck are due to launch imminently, and discussions are underway with other providers across the sectors, including Lely in dairy.

Jon Stewart, Director at MeritAgCheck says: “Having the Red Tractor requirements built directly into MeritAgCheck means farmers can capture the information once and use it for multiple purposes, including their farm assurance. The integration makes the process much smoother for our customers and ensures they stay audit-ready without extra admin, saving them time that they can re-invest into other activities.”

Mrs Wiltshire adds: “We want to work with any company whose reporting could overlap with what’s required for Red Tractor assessments. If we can reduce duplication by working with software already in use, then that’s progress too.”

These latest updates form part of a wide range of improvements Red Tractor is implementing in response to the Farm Assurance Review – from reducing audit burden, to communications and engagement and the use of practical digital tools.

Guidance on using the new portal features, including ‘how to’ videos can be found here.

Discover the Portal

12 Feb 2026

Red Tractor awareness reaches 75% following 25th anniversary campaign

Three quarters of UK adults now recognise the Red Tractor logo, according to new consumer research.

YouGov tracking data shows awareness of Red Tractor is at 75% – a 3% increase since January 2025 – putting the scheme marginally ahead of the Lion Mark for eggs at 72% for the first time.

Growing awareness and visibility

Director of Marketing and Commercial at Red Tractor, Richard Cattell, attributes the growing awareness to both the breadth of the scheme, visibility of the logo on packs and the impact of the ‘With you for 25 years’ consumer campaign, which launched in August and is set to reach 46.9 million people by March 2026.

“Red Tractor and other farm assurance schemes play an important role in helping shoppers make informed choices,” says Mr Cattell.

“For over 25 years the Red Tractor logo has been a symbol of safe, traceable and responsibly produced food, underpinned by the efforts of more than 40,000 farmers and growers working to deliver high standards year-round.

“Our new campaign not only celebrates British food but helps to remind consumers why the scheme is trusted by every major UK supermarket,” he adds.

Consistent, trusted marks in shoppers’ minds

“With ongoing questions about the clarity and value of food labelling, achieving this level of consumer recognition demonstrates that consistent, trusted marks can establish themselves in shoppers’ minds.”

Peter Chandley, Head of Quality and Food Safety at Weetabix says: “At Weetabix, sourcing responsibly is fundamental to everything we do. That’s why all the wheat we use from within a 50-mile radius of our mills is Red Tractor assured.

“Assurance plays a vital role in giving us confidence in the safety, traceability and compliance of our wheat supply chain, while also supporting high standards of British farming.

“It provides independent verification right back to the farm, helping us deliver consistently high-quality products to our consumers and reinforcing our commitment to working with trusted UK growers.”

Giving consumers confidence

Red Tractor CEO, Jim Moseley adds: “Given that we’ve only been advertising since the end of 2018 this is a fantastic result.

“Clear, trusted labelling is vital in building confidence in British food, and while assurance schemes cover different products and standards, they share the same goal of giving consumers confidence,” he says.

Learn more about the campaign

27 Jan 2026

Red Tractor Board Update – January 2026

The Red Tractor Board of Directors met on 23 January 2026. The meeting was an opportunity to review initial proposals for objectives in the next financial year, from 1 April 2026, as well as discussing ongoing work and challenges. It was an upbeat meeting, reflecting the positive steps forward and much still to do.

CEO recruitment

I shared an update on the recruitment of the next CEO following Jim’s planned retirement from the organisation at the end of April. The recruitment consultancy, Berwick and Partners, has had a positive response to the advert and is now in the process of identifying a short list to be shared with the Nominations Committee. The Board agreed to progress with the recruitment process as published just before Christmas.

Standards reviews

The Board received an update from the Standards Committee meeting where responses to the request for feedback on sector priorities were discussed in detail. Media and stakeholder commentary on the publication of the priorities has been positive, with most welcoming and encouraging the opportunity to feedback. However, the level of engagement – particularly in poultry, pigs and fresh produce – has been lower than expected. Red Tractor’s communications team will continue to promote opportunities for feedback until 1 February.

Animal welfare

The Board also debated and discussed how Red Tractor can support the industry and uphold its reputations in the likelihood of an increased number of animal welfare exposes in 2026. The Board agreed that increasing year-round compliance with Red Tractor Standards, focusing on culture and human-animal interactions, is an essential component of safeguarding animal welfare and upholding the standards of UK livestock farming. Enhanced training, CCTV and working with industry groups were all discussed. This topic is likely to remain a live and evolving discussion in livestock sector boards, particularly those with intensive production.

Collaboration with other assurance schemes

The CEO provided an update on the second meeting of assurance schemes, initiated by Red Tractor in 2025, which took place in Edinburgh on 16 January. It was reassuring to hear the shared focus across schemes on reducing audit burden. This forum will provide an essential ‘check’ on cross-scheme implications of changes to standards and assessment processes as many schemes look to review these in 2026.

2026/27 Planning

Red Tractor’s leadership team shared their initial proposals for objectives and priority areas of work to be delivered in 2026/27. These are set within an internal context of a standards review process, a new CEO and embedding new ways of working within the organisation. They also take account of increased import competition, activist campaigns, government consultations, geopolitical impacts on international trade and food inflation.

The Board agreed the importance of balancing the requirements of all stakeholders – shoppers, farmers and growers, government, retailers, caterers and brands – in developing this strategy. This includes the need to recognise the importance of out of home and food service opportunities from recommendations in the Farm Profitability Review.

We also discussed how Red Tractor could encourage feelings of pride in more challenging sectors, including with arable farmers.

The proposed overarching aims include an ongoing commitment to deliver the sentiment and aims of the Farm Assurance Review; upholding Red Tractor and industry’s reputation; developing partnerships and pride with all stakeholders; and utilising Red Tractor as a competitive advantage at home and abroad.

These aims are supported by high level and more detailed objectives which Directors have been asked to review ahead of further discussions in March.

Next steps

Red Tractor Sector Boards, which include representatives from across the supply chain in each sector, will meet in February to discuss feedback on the priorities that they identified for their sectors and the Board’s request to consider water and air quality challenges within their sectors. The sector-specific Technical Advisory Committees continue to develop the draft standards revisions, which we will consult on later this year.

Kind regards,
Alistair Macintosh, Red Tractor Chair

Red Tractor Board members

John Pain – Vice Chair

David Exwood – Industry Director, Farmers Unions

Will Jackson – Industry Director, AHDB (covered for by Ken Boyns)

Dean Holroyd – Industry Director, BMPA

Natalie Smith – Industry Director, BRC

Chris Goodwin – Independent Director, Finance

James Russell – Independent Director, Vet

David Neilson – Independent Director, BPC (absent from this meeting)

John Dracup – Beef & Lamb Sector Chair

Julian Sturdy – Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet Sector Chair

Tim Lock – Dairy Sector Chair

Veryan Bliss – Fresh Produce Sector Chair

Stewart Houston CBE, FRAgS – Pig Sector Chair

Nick Major – Poultry Sector Chair

Jim Moseley – Chief Executive

27 Jan 2026

Help shape the future of Red Tractor

We’ve partnered with Grounded Research to improve our understanding of farmers and consumers

Red Tractor is pleased to have partnered with independent supply chain insight specialist Grounded Research to deepen our understanding of farmer and consumer perceptions as we work to strengthen confidence in the UK food system.

The collaboration brings together Red Tractor’s role as the UK’s largest and most recognised food assurance scheme with Grounded Research’s experience in delivering research across food and agriculture.

Strengthening confidence in the UK food system

As an initial step, Red Tractor members have been sent emails from Grounded Research requesting feedback about their experiences of farm assurance. All results will be aggregated and anonymised unless permission has been given to share quotes by the member. The results will inform a programme of improvements to Red Tractor’s standards, operations and communications.

There will also be an opportunity for farmers and growers to share feedback on the experiences following their Red Tractor assessment.

If you’re a Red Tractor member and can’t find an email from Grounded Research, please email hello@groundedresearch.co.uk with your membership number and they will resend the email.

About Grounded Research

Grounded Research is an independent research agency specialising in food, farming and environmental issues. The organisation is known and trusted for delivering robust, impartial research that reflects the realities of the agri-food system, working across the supply chain to ensure evidence is robust, representative and accurate.

Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, gathers insight from farmers, businesses and consumers to explore complex and often sensitive issues. Findings are carefully analysed and translated into clear, practical outputs that support informed decision-making and continuous improvement across the sector.

For Red Tractor farmers and growers, this independence and specialist knowledge ensures that perspectives from those directly affected by assurance are captured accurately, understood, treated with care, and represented fairly, providing a trusted evidence base to inform future development.

“Grounded Research’s role is to design and deliver independent research that accurately reflects the experiences and perspectives of Red Tractor members. Within this research programme, our focus is on ensuring that evidence is gathered systematically, analysed objectively and reported without advocacy or agenda. By doing so, we aim to support better research for farmers and a stronger evidence base for Red Tractor industry to make informed decisions on behalf of members for a stronger assurance scheme for UK agriculture.” Clare Otridge, Director of Grounded Research

Look out for an email from Red Tractor with a link to share feedback in the week following your assessment.

18 Dec 2025

Red Tractor welcomes Farm Profitability Review

Red Tractor welcomes the Farm Profitability Review’s recognition of its role in supporting UK farming’s future.

Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley commented:
 
“We’re pleased that the Farm Profitability Review highlights Red Tractor’s role in supporting British farming and the integrity of British food.

“The review’s recommendations on extending origin labelling linked to assurance schemes like Red Tractor, particularly into the out-of-home sector, reflect what we’ve long championed – that transparent standards together with traceability and British labelling, benefit farmers, growers and consumers. 
 
“With Red Tractor now providing assurance and proof of provenance on £18 billion worth of British food, and our logo recognised by 75% of UK consumers, we’re proud to help farmers add value, differentiate their products from imports and demonstrate their commitment to British standards. The review reinforces that trusted certification schemes are essential tools for building consumer confidence and supporting a resilient farming sector. 
 
“We look forward to working in collaboration with government, retailers, and the food service sector to strengthen supply chain fairness and ensure high standards remain at the heart of British food.”

Jim Moseley, CEO of Red Tractor

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