Red Tractor Assurance is undertaking a periodic review of farm assurance standards across multiple sectors and NFU Scotland is urging its members to respond.
The latest review proposes changes to the standards which must be met on dairy, livestock and fresh produce farms which want to market their produce as Red Tractor Farm Assured.
Some proposed changes track amendments to legislation, are in line with new scientific advice or are rationalising standards which are common across multiple sectors.
The intention is to provide improved clarity for farmers and assessors.
The union is encouraging members to respond to the consultation before the deadline of March 5, 2021.
Farmers, crofters, and growers are also being reminded that they can feed into NFU Scotland to inform the union’s formal response to the review.
Members can do this by contacting relevant staff, or through elected representatives on NFU Scotland commodity committees.
Review of proposed standards
NFU Scotland policy manager Stuart Martin said: “It’s important that the proposed standards for Red Tractor farm assurance are reviewed by farmers, crofters and growers who are best placed to understand the practical implications of the potential changes.
Quality assurance standards play a vital role in communicating the high production values on Scottish farms and crofts to consumers.
“NFU Scotland will produce our own formal response to the proposals, and to do this, we need input from those with practical experience.
“Members are encouraged to respond individually to the Red Tractor consultation, but also to feed into the NFU Scotland response by contacting relevant officeholders and staff,” he concluded.
