CIWF slates Red Tractor scheme
Organisers of the Red Tractor scheme have hit back at suggestions that their standards do little more than meet minimum legal requirements and offer little in terms of welfare advancement.
The criticism relates specifically to turkeys and is contained in a new report from animal welfare groups Compassion in World Farming and OneKind into various welfare schemes.
The two bodies have also issued a consumer guide to welfare schemes, ranking them as “bronze”, “silver” or “gold”, based on a number of animal welfare criteria, including husbandry, genetics and stockmanship.
At the top of the list, with “silver” credentials, is the Soil Association’s organic standard, followed by the RSPCA’s Freedom Food scheme and the Scottish Organic Producers Association scheme – both classified as “bronze”.
“These systems offer significant welfare benefits compared to standard industry practice, including use of slower growing breeds, prohibition of beak trimming and access to free-range,” said a joint statement.
But Red Tractor farm assured poultry was placed bottom. “The standard offers little more than compliance with minimum legislative requirements, and means that turkeys are likely to be reared in barren, overcrowded environments with no access to the outdoors.”
The criticism has been rebuffed by Red Tractor chief executive David Clarke, who accused CIWF and OneKind of selective analysis.
“CIWF knows very well that standards on Red Tractor farms are better than minimum legal requirements and that there is a huge amount of meat and poultry on sale in the UK that is not produced to Red Tractor standards,” he said.
“Of course there is no way of knowing what standards of production were applied to many of these products, so CIWF and OneKind did not include them in their analysis. In effect they are penalising the honesty and transparency of Red Tractor standards and assurances.”
Mr Clarke also pointed out that Red Tractor turkey was available at a price that most people could afford.
“Despite what OneKind and CIWF might say, only a small minority of people are inclined or indeed able in the current difficult economic climate to pay the very significant premium prices for the turkeys that they advocate.”