Red Tractor board update May 2025

The Red Tractor Board met on 16 May to review progress on our ongoing priorities and to discuss new developments across the organisation.

I was pleased to report to the Board that Red Tractor’s owners – AHDB, NFU, NFUS, UFU, Dairy UK and BRC – had decided to appoint me as the Red Tractor Chair. This is an honour and my vision for Red Tractor is to change it, so that farmers are proud to be Red Tractor assured. As the UK sets out new trading relationships, I want to see that Red Tractor is trusted at home and abroad. There’s also a job to do with government, and I will work to reduce duplication of audits by ensuring more government agencies recognise and trust Red Tractor assessments.

We were pleased to welcome Natalie Smith, Head of Sustainable Agriculture & Fisheries at Tesco, as the new British Retail Consortium representative on the Board. We look forward to working closely with Natalie to further strengthen industry collaboration.

Operational improvements and progress against the Farm Assurance Review

Red Tractor continues to make good progress in delivering the commitments from the Farm Assurance Review (FAR). We have been actively engaging with other assurance schemes, certification bodies, TIAH, and the FAR commissioners to ensure collaborative delivery. We have published a short progress report on our website.

Significant improvements to the Portal have been implemented and communicated to farmers via the special print edition of Member Matters, shared with members in April. These improvements also include enhanced training sessions for assessors – particularly in areaswhere uptake of the Portal had been limited. Further developments are underway, such as data integration for complex farm structures and live task logging, which will support a more streamlined assurance process.

Later in June, Red Tractor’s Sector Boards will be consulted on the draft Terms of Reference for Sector Boards, alongside the Policy for Standards Development and the Standards Review Plan, which will be brought to the Board for final approval in July. You can find out who represents you on the Sector Boards here.

I reported I will also be attending Cereals this year, where I will be speaking to members and joining a question time-style panel organised by Farmers Weekly.  

Financial position and communications strategy

The Board reviewed the end-of-year financial report, noting that overall spending was within budget which included increased advertising timed to support the farmer IHT campaigns. Communications expenditure was below budget last year due to the tragic passing of our head of communications and the FAR, but a significant budget has been agreed for 2025. Licensee renewal income remains strong, with the 2025/26 income budget already achieved.

Our new Director of Communications & Engagement, Jo Miller, presented the new Communications Strategy for 2025/26, which prioritises farms as the key audience while recognising the importance of other stakeholders. The strategy aims to build farmer trust through meaningful engagement, demonstrating Red Tractor’s value and communicating change effectively. The Board welcomed the strategy stressing the importance they placed on it.

The Board also welcomed retailer and industry support for British produce in the wake of the recently announced trade deals, recognising these events as opportunities to talk about the value of Red Tractor to farmers. The Board noted that retailers and industry should go further in their support of British produce by explicitly referencing “Red Tractor “, which underpins 75% of food and drink produced in the UK and is recognised and trusted by 75% of the UK public.

Addressing animal welfare and reputation management

Recent media exposes of animal welfare issues were discussed. The Board agreed that Red Tractor has taken appropriate action in response but emphasised that ensuring and demonstrating compliance remains a critical and ongoing priority.

Looking ahead

Red Tractor is listening, engaging and committed to delivering meaningful change. I am very proud of the team’s dedication and progress. As we look to the future, especially opportunities in export markets, I encourage all our partners to support our communications efforts. Red Tractor standards are British standards.

Together, Red Tractor will continue to be the trusted standard protecting British farming and food quality.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to Red Tractor and to British agriculture.