The second UK Farm Assurance Review (FAR) monitoring report has been published, with monitoring and reporting commissioner Dr David Llewellyn recognising that there is still room for improvement.
The report, which was commissioned by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), was published following the final stage of a post-review monitoring exercise.
It detailed actions taken by organisations tasked to implement the 56 operational UKFAR recommendations, and was conducted independently by the monitoring and reporting commissioner, Dr David Llewellyn.
Llewellyn commented: “The UKFAR appears to have acted as a catalyst for change across the farm assurance system, though it is clear that farm assurance schemes remain at different stages in their adoption of the UKFAR recommendations. The work of some schemes, in particular those in the devolved nations and the progress reported in the Red Tractor (RT) action plan, is welcome.
“Certain industry regulators also stand out as having taken the principles of the UKFAR on board and the main farming organisations are also pressing ahead to see that the UKFAR has a lasting effect.
“There is, however, room for improvement in the way in which UK Governments see the role of farm assurance as a contributor to the development of the industry. Dialogue between the assurance schemes and their respective Governments in the devolved nations is taking place, but the picture with Defra is less clear. There was the promise, earlier in the UKFAR, of greater coordination between the UK Governments to take account of the system in their policy making and to reduce duplication of effort, but this has yet to see the light of day.”
Responding to the report, Alistair Mackintosh, chair of Red Tractor, stated: “Our response to the FAR is part of a long-term commitment to ensuring Red Tractor embeds a more transparent approach, particularly for farmers who must feel represented, listened to and informed.
“We want to restore a sense of pride in British farming standards. Our aim is to deliver a cost-effective scheme that is trusted and valued by farmers, growers, the supply chain, buyers and consumers.”
AHDB chair Emily Norton said: “We would like to thank David Llewellyn and the commissioners for undertaking the original Review and the two progress reports, which were jointly funded by AHDB and the national farming unions.
“Over the past year, we have been working on the 14 practical recommendations we were asked to help deliver.
“AHDB has undertaken an international comparison of standards in the Beef and Lamb sector, and we are currently working through similar analysis in the Dairy sector. In relation to Red Tractor, we are working closely with the other owners to support the ongoing changes within the scheme.”
Assurance scheme paper published by AHDB and NFU
Norton highlighted that AHDB, in partnership with NFU, had published a paper looking at the value of assurance.
She said: “Today, AHDB is also publishing a paper, in conjunction with the NFU, looking at the purpose, scope and value of assurance in general terms. This paper sets out the rationale and purpose of assurance, and the difference between foundational assurance and enhanced or tiered assurance. We intend this paper to serve as the bedrock for the future development of assurance schemes in the UK.
“We will continue to work through the recommendations in the Review and report back to industry as each project is completed. This includes our research into assurance within the Cereals and Oilseeds sector, which we plan to complete by autumn 2026.
“The Farm Assurance Review is helping underpin the critical role farm assurance plays in our industry. We look forward to continuing the conversations with industry partners on the future of assurance and commit to working collaboratively with the industry to support the Review on behalf of our levy payers.”
UK farming unions urge Government to ensure a fair, transparent marketplace
Responding to the publication of the report, the four UK farming unions – NFU, NFU Scotland, Ulster Farmers’ Union and NFU Cymru – said: “Our organisations continue to work hard on multiple aspects of the report’s recommendations to ensure Britain’s farmers and growers have a greater voice in the development of farm assurance standards.
“Although good progress has been made, several areas highlighted within the report still require urgent action.
“On environmental measurement, we must reach a consensus around an industry-led approach and ensure reporting has a clear purpose, provides genuine value and involves farmers and growers from day one.
“Issues within the combinable crops sector also need to be addressed with structural changes urgently needed to abandon the one-size-fits-all approach and lift the unsustainable audit burden on our growers.”
“The four UK farming unions remain committed to the important role assurance plays in underpinning the safety, traceability and quality of food produced on British farms.”
The unions said: “We will continue to engage with the industry and the wider supply chain to make the changes happen that we all want to see.
“But as the report makes clear, Government also needs to urgently step up and recognise the value of farm assurance and its role in providing high quality, British food. It must ensure that our farmers and growers are not unfairly forced to compete with imported products that would be illegal to produce here, and establish the fair, transparent marketplace our farmers and growers deserve.
“This review marks a vital reset moment to build a modern assurance framework fit for purpose and the four UK farming unions remain committed to the important role assurance plays in underpinning the safety, traceability and quality of food produced on British farms.”
