Red Tractor announces major review of farm standards

Red Tractor has announced a sweeping review of its farm standards, promising to strip out unnecessary audit requirements and overhaul how assessments are carried out across every farming sector. 

The Improving Farm Assessments and Standards review, announced today (8 December), is billed as a response to Farm Assurance Review amid mounting farmer frustration over red tape, lack of transparency and rising compliance costs.

The assurance body has published a set of priority areas for improvement across all six sector boards it covers – beef and lamb, dairy, pigs, poultry, combinable crops and sugar beet, and fresh produce – marking the first stage of a full review of standards in 2026.

See also: Red Tractor pledges major reform after farmer backlash

It comes after the independent Farm Assurance Review, led by David Llewellyn, called for a “fundamental reset” of Red Tractor’s standards and audit processes to reduce bureaucracy and put farmers at the centre of decision making.

The priorities were developed and agreed by Red Tractor’s sector boards, which include farmers, vets, processors, retailers, and supply chain representatives.

All stakeholders are invited to share feedback on the priorities by 1 February via the Red Tractor website.

Red Tractor says these priorities sit alongside wider improvements already in progress including the Red Tractor portal, communications and assessor training.

Red Tractor chairman Alistair Mackintosh said the reforms were designed to give farmers “a clear view of the direction of travel” and, crucially, a chance to influence it.

More streamlined assessments

Philippa Wiltshire, director of operations at Red Tractor, said sector boards are looking for opportunities for more streamlined assessments and re-assessing the audit cycle.

She said Red Tractor is “thinking outside of the box” to make compliance easier for farmer-members, exploring methods such as using photographs instead of requiring in-person visits from an assessor.

Ms Wiltshire confirmed that Red Tractor has no plans to revive its scrapped Greener Farms Commitment (GFC), which had caused uproar with farmers.

She said Red Tractor is exploring tailored standards to support water and waste management, uphold high animal welfare standards to boost consumer confidence in livestock sectors, and allow for more bespoke modules or options.

Role of TACs

Sector boards will continue to steer the review, while the next phase passes to the Technical Advisory Committees (TACs), which will develop detailed, practical proposals for change.

In total, more than 150 representatives sit on sector boards and TACs.

Mr Mackintosh said the TACs would test what works on farm and ensure farmer feedback drives the process, adding that early input “will help shape the work that follows”.

North Devon sheep farmer Bryan Griffiths represents the National Sheep Association (NSA) on the Beef and Lamb TAC.

He confirmed to Farmers Weekly the TACs have begun systematically reviewing the current standards, identifying where they can be simplified and where duplicated or overly pernickety audit points can be removed.

“For example, in the age of mobile phones, do we really need a written emergency plan?” he said.

He added that reviewing the assessment cycle and introducing rewards for good compliance “could make a real difference at farm level”.

Next steps

Draft standards will be published throughout 2026, with final UKAS-accredited rules due to come into force in 2027.

Red Tractor has also enlisted food, farming and agriculture PR agency Pinstone to improve its communications with farmers and the wider industry, a relationship which Mr Mackintosh said was “working well”.