The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Red Tractor rethink after AHDB exits
Red Tractor is having to “reconsider” its advertising plans after levy body AHDB pulled the plug on annual grant funding to the farm assurance organisation.
Red Tractor, which covers farm assurance for a range of products including dairy, fruit and vegetables, typically receives £250,000 in funding from AHDB every year.
However, AHDB has stopped its funding of the assurance body and in a statement the organisation said: “The AHDB board decided it was no longer appropriate to provide this annual seed corn funding as Red Tractor is financially established and self-sustaining.”
AHDB chairman Nicholas Saphir said the levy body would still consider providing funds to Red Tractor for specific work or projects that are deemed to “add demonstrable value to levy payers or help levy payers to reach agreed standards”.
He added: “In addition, where there are issues, AHDB will continue to ask the tough questions and use its independence and evidence-based approach to facilitate the finding of solutions between Red Tractor and its stakeholders.
“For example, AHDB has been raising questions and encouraging parties to come together over the current levy payer concern around grain imports and whether the controls in place for imported grain provide the same levels of assurance and clarity as
those of Red Tractor for English product.”
A Red Tractor spokesman said: “Regrettably, the AHDB’S funding decision means we will now need to
reconsider our advertising plans, which we understand will come as a
disappointment to farmers and the wider food supply chain.”
The National Sheep Association backed AHDB’S decision and the association’s chief executive, Phil Stocker, said other assurance and certification schemes had never enjoyed levy support.
He added: “For lamb producers it is questionable that all levy payers should contribute financially to one assurance/branding scheme when only circa 40% to 50% are actually members of it.”