farm assurance

 

The facts behind the label

Farm Assurance Schemes are voluntary schemes which establish production standards covering food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare issues and other characteristics deemed to be important by consumers.  

They include regular, independent checks on the producers that belong to the schemes to ensure that they follow the rules. The Schemes are designed to assure consumers that farmers and growers are producing food to meet all legal requirements and an agreed set of standards relating to good agricultural practice. 

The red tractor logo, found on fresh fruit and vegetables, salads, meat, poultry and dairy produce, is the symbol of Assured Food Standards. The logo indicates compliance with specific Food Assurance Schemes registered with Assured Food Standards.

The schemes covered are Assured British Meat, Assured Chicken Production, Assured Combinable Crops (those harvested with a combine harvester), Assured Produce, Farm Assured British Beef and Lamb, Farm Assured Welsh Lamb, National Dairy Farmers Assurance Scheme (milk), Northern Irish Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance, Genesis Quality Assurance Scheme (beef, lamb and combinable crops), Scottish Quality Cereals, Quality Meat Scotland and Assured British Pigs.  
Under EU competition rules the logo cannot be restricted to British produce, though in reality, it is only used on UK fresh foods. 

The individual schemes have been developed piecemeal, so their emphasis is on different aspects of assurance. 

The standards for fruit, vegetables and cereals cover all aspects of the production process from planning what crops to grow, to cultivation, plant health, harvesting and storage - and in the case of cereals, their transportation off the farm.

The standards for livestock, poultry and dairy production cover all aspects of the production process from animal movements to housing, feed, animal welfare and health, and hygiene and food safety.  

Farmers care for their animals by following the Five Freedoms welfare code:

The standards allow genetically modified ingredients in animal feed. The standards also require farmers to 'look after the countryside'; though these simply refer to the Government's codes of good practice for soil, water and air.

Only the schemes for fruit and vegetables and cereals refer directly to 'wildlife', recommending that every grower is encouraged to have a plan for managing wildlife and conservation on their property, and to consult specialists for expert advice.

Assured Foods is currently reviewing the environmental standards within the Farm Assurance schemes. Further details of the scheme can be found at: www.redtractor.org.uk

The red tractor schemes set a foundation for farm assurance in the individual sectors. There are other foundation level assurance schemes outside the red tractor scheme.

These include the Lion Quality Scheme for eggs, an industry scheme for animal feeds and non-UK schemes such as Danish Bacon. The first and last also have their own logos.

Premium schemes, which set higher levels of assurance, also exist. They have their own logos. These include Freedom Foods, Organic Standards such as the Soil Association, and LEAF-Linking Environment and Farming. 

In the case of Freedom Foods, the emphasis is on higher welfare standards for livestock. The LEAF scheme, applying to produce, has higher environmental standards in their integrated approach. Organic schemes are designed to address chemical inputs; fertiliser and pesticide use in crops and veterinary medicines in livestock production.