Red Tractor Scheme

To begin with, many companies set their own standards and carried out their own inspections. But it became clear that a nationally agreed standard would be much more efficient and recognisable and by the end of the 1990s, there was a scheme in every major sector of food production.

The idea of unifying the different sector standards under a single assured food standards umbrella emerged in 1999 following research into consumer attitudes. This research revealed that shoppers wanted independent reassurance that farmers and growers were meeting standards of good agricultural practice.

Research also told us that the public wanted to see independent inspectors checking on issues such as animal health and welfare and what farmers were doing to protect the environment. They also wanted an easily recognisable symbol that would give them total confidence in the food they were buying.

The result is the Red Tractor, as it is affectionately known. It has emerged as both the public face of food assurance and the driving force for encouraging every link in the British food chain to provide consumers with a trusted single kitemark.

Since its launch by the Prime Minister in 2000, the Red Tractor has united the food chain in raising standards and verifying that they are being met. Shoppers can be confident that food bearing the Red Tractor has been checked every step of the way from farm to pack.

It is also the firmest guarantee yet that food can be traced right back to the farms from which it came – an assurance that is backed up by regular traceback inspections.

Over 78,000 farmers and growers are now members of the scheme, all committed to maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene, animal welfare and environmental protection. The Red Tractor logo can be spotted on thousands of products such as beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, milk, cheese, cream, cereals, vegetables, sugar, flour, fruit and salads in shops and supermarkets everywhere.

Attachments:

• RED TRACTOR.pdf