Red Tractor assurance scheme raising bar for farm standards

The Red Tractor assurance scheme is raising the bar for its farm standards and will issue new guidelines to its producers later this month.

Every three years, the body reviews its assessment parameters to ensure they match what consumers want and expect from the £13bn of produce that carries the logo.

As part of the move, antibiotic use across all livestock sectors has been scrutinised, and the scheme administrators said strengthened standards will aim to help producers reduce and record use in line with best practice advice from Ruma, the alliance for Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture.

Pig producers are already recording antibiotic use on the electronic medicine book developed by AHDB Pigs, in preparation for the new standards, but dairy, beef and lamb producers will also have to maintain medicine records to show a total level of antibiotic use for their units.

Fresh fruit and vegetable producers will have to carry out more detailed risk assessments, particularly in fields and packhouses, to prevent product contamination and in terms of any water used in crop production.

This also extends to growers who irrigate combinable crops or sugar beet.

Poultry producers will not be permitted to use third and fourth generation cephalosporins, glycopeptides and colistin in broiler flocks, and Red Tractor assured hatcheries will only be allowed to handle assured eggs.

All farmers will have to abide by ‘responsible use’ of agri-chemicals and nutrient management.

The new standards come into effect from October.

Picture: PA. Poultry producers will be among those affected when the Red Tractor assurance scheme raises its farm standards.