Essex farmer and NFU deputy president Tom Bradshaw has been appointed to the Assured Food Standards (AFS) Board of Directors.
He replaces former NFU deputy president Stuart Roberts as an industry director of the AFS Board, which governs how Red Tractor is run and helps develop standards.
“With his wealth of experience, Tom has worked closely with the Red Tractor team for a number of years and is a welcome addition to the board of directors,” said AFS chair Christine Tacon.
“His input is valuable as we strive to advance the UK’s largest and most trusted food assurance scheme, serving the interests of its members and consumers. I’d also like to thank Stuart Roberts for his years of service and dedication as a board member.”
Tom has represented the NFU from chairing his local branch, through to chair of the National Combinable Crops Board. He also served as Vice President from February 2020 to February 2022.
“I have always been convinced that single point assurance is in the best interests of members,” he says.
“As Red Tractor continues to evolve for the future it is crucial that we embed the principles put forward by the NFU to make sure that farm assurance works for all parts of the supply chain, and crucially for farmers producing the food.”
Tom farms in partnership with his wife, Emily, and his parents near Colchester. Alongside a small, owned farm they run a larger contract farming business growing a range of combinable crops across 950 hectares in North East Essex.
The home farm is based around arable production, but has also diversified into equestrian and renewables.