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RED TRACTOR SCHEME MANAGING & PROMOTING ASSURANCE FOR THE FOOD CHAIN. 1. 3. 2. 4. Core activities. Ensure conformance. Define the standards. Identify assured product. Communicate attributes to consumers. AFS - Owned By The Food Chain NFU (England & Wales) Ulster Farmers Union
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RED TRACTOR SCHEME MANAGING & PROMOTING ASSURANCE FOR THE FOOD CHAIN
1 3 2 4 Core activities Ensure conformance Define the standards Identify assured product Communicate attributes to consumers
AFS - Owned By The Food Chain NFU (England & Wales) Ulster Farmers Union Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board Dairy UK British Retail Consortium Links: Food & Drink Federation Six Major Commodity Sectors Cattle/Sheep Pigs Chicken & Turkeys Dairy Crops Fresh Produce Not eggs - Lion Egg Code Assured Food Standards (AFS) an independent not-for-profit organisation
Standards • Standards: • Food safety and hygiene • Animal welfare • Environmental protection • Based on: • EU / UK legislation • Codes of Good Agricultural practice • Standards harness the best expertise in the UK • Checked at every critical stage across the food chain - 60,000 inspections undertaken every year
Certified stock Red Tractor = whole chain assured Every critical link in the supply chain e.g. pigs Certified feed Certified farms Certified livestock transport Certified slaughter & processing plants
Certified farms Certified livestock transport Certified markets Certified slaughter & processing plants Red Tractor = whole chain assured Every critical link in the supply chain e.g. cattle Certified feed
£8 billion (rsv) +60% in 3 years Strong consumer interest in food quality and where it comes from Supported by: farming bodies, Government, food retailers, leading fmcg brands and food service operators Over 400 leading packers and processors licensed to use the logo Leading quality kitemark for British food and drink
Red Tractor logo underpinning major brands “All our Bally Manor chicken & Strathvale fresh and processed pork and beef is 100% British and approved by Assured Food Standards”
Where next? Farm standards • harmonisation across the commodity sectors For: • Consistency across the AFS family of schemes • Consistency behind the common Red Tractor Logo • More efficient integrated inspections of mixed farms Progressing well - completed during 2009 Some enhancements to standards in parallel • further tightening on feed controls • remove assurance anomalies around beef from dairy herds “Harmonisation” of internal organisation to match
Avoid unnecessary duplication of inspections • Avoid duplication of industry inspections • Assured farms considered ‘lower risk’ by regulatory inspectors • already in place since 2007 – food hygiene inspections (FSA) • (but not yet applicable to Dairy farms) • work in progress • animal health & welfare (DEFRA) • PPC regulations pig and poultry farms (Environment Agency) • More frequent inspections than regulatory bodies • Can act quickly and decisively against non-conformers (deny market access) “If anything was likely to have encouraged William Tudor to get his act together on food hygiene, it would have been the direct threat of failing to secure, or losing, what was a very significant contract.”
Integrity of Red Tractor logo • Red Tractor Logo only used under licence since launch in 2000 • Licensing rules and conditions apply • include access to site and records for inspection • Routine programme of audits commissioned by AFS • of All licensees to validate correct use of logo • Integrated with other on-site audits, e.g. BRC • for efficiency and to avoid duplication • In future - greater transparency of reporting of inspection outcomes • e.g. trend analysis of farm inspections & benchmarking
“Made in the Republic of Ireland from Imported Beef” Origin labelling of meat • Origin - Place of farming or place of processing? • Red Tractor Logo includes secondary statement of origin in the flag • ‘Origin’ is the place of farming • Red Tractor rules are totally consistent with Food Standards Agency guidelines • The AFS integrity programme validates the claim The Union Flag in the Red Tractor logo means that the meat has come from a UK farm
£8 billion (rsv) +60% in 3 years Used by all major food retailers in the UK Increasingly by brands and food service operators Building penetration of Red Tractor logo
PR and promotions Consumer media information service
Marketing and CommunicationsNew opportunities with AHDB Developing strategies with AHDB (pending State Aids approval) • Use the Red Tractor logo to identify quality assured food • including the secondary statement of origin • Motivate shoppers to buy Red Tractor food • Deliver value to the food chain • A single logo to avoid confusion • synergies outweigh the threats
Summary • Identified current priorities & challenges • Assurance schemes & the Red Tractor logo are well established • better integration of technical standards across agricultural sectors will provide a solid platform for future development • partnership with AHDB gives a new opportunity for stronger consumer communications • Red Tractor logo means assured standards at every critical point in the supply chain • validated by strong integrity programmes • Avoid a confusing plethora of schemes and logos • The Red Tractor scheme only works if whole food chain gets behind it