At its quarterly council meeting, during October 2023, NFU Council passed a resolution highlighting its concerns about the delivery of Red Tractor’s new bolt-on environmental module, the GFC (Greener Farms Commitment).
NFU Council called for an independent review and agreed that the ambition should be for work to be completed in time for its next meeting in January. This review – Review 1 – is for those that are directly involved with the governance of Red Tractor, such as Sector Boards, TACs (Technical Advisory Committees) and the AFS (Assured Food Standards) Board. It will review Red Tractor’s decision-making procedures and its transparency, examine who is consulted by Red Tractor in its development of standards and look at the balance of this feedback, and how Red Tractor engages with these stakeholders.
Delivered in February, Review 1 found Red Tractor had followed the agreed governance process, but that this same process had fallen well short of winning the consent of its farming members.
Consultants Campbell Tickell highlights what it has called “an existential crisis".
The NFU believes that the report offers a watershed opportunity for Red Tractor to rebuild trust, improve communication and resolve some of the issues Campbell Tickell has surfaced during its consultation.
The NFU sees this report as a positive opportunity for Red Tractor to re-set its relationship with producers, for the benefit of all.
A second, larger review, will look at repurposing assurance in a post-Brexit world. This review – Review 2 – is an industry-wide review, aimed at seeking feedback from all farmers and growers about all farm assurance schemes with a view to revolutionising farm to fork assurance, and making it truly fit for the future.
You can track the progress of each review on this page, which we have updated to give it a new look and feel and to help you get to the latest information quickly on the progress of both reviews.