Dairy Standards

Dairy farmers need to get up early in the morning (often as early as 3am) to milk their herd. They must also work tirelessly to maintain a rigorous set of standards that keeps animal welfare, traceability and food safety at its core.

“Being a Red Tractor farmer is really important to me. It means that we commit as an industry to very important standards. 95% of British milk is Red Tractor assured and it means that all those dairy products are safe, traceable, farmed with care and they come from farms like mine who have names and faces and a history.”

Abi
Red Tractor dairy farm member

Our dairy standards include:

All Red Tractor cattle must have a UK passport. Dairy calves must have a tag within 36 hours, and a second tag within 20 days to maintain traceability.

Anyone working on a
Red Tractor certified
farm must be trained and demonstrably competent
to carry out their role.

Safe, comfortable and hygienic housing must be
available for all cows.

The health and welfare of cattle must be proactively managed including during transportation.

Procedures to ensure hygiene must be followed during milking and storage.

Read our Dairy Standards in detail

Read our Dairy Goats Standards in detail

Interested in learning more about our farms to pack story?

You can learn more about Red Tractor’s role by watching our “How Do They?” series of films that explores the journeys that farm produce takes before it reaches the consumer.

How do they turn British milk into Red Tractor assured cheddar cheese?

Join us in the West Country to find out how British milk is transformed into smooth cheddar – and meet the people producing this delicious cheese through traditional techniques and years of experience.

Since its beginnings over 50 years ago, Cathedral City cheddar cheese has been made to a unique recipe, using only the finest ingredients, the most important of which is high quality, fresh milk.

Sourced from dedicated farms in the South West of England, the milk used to make Cathedral City cheddar cheese is 100% British and its creamy richness and consistent high-quality help give the cheese its distinctive rich flavour.