Red Tractor accused of ‘hypocrisy’ in poultry farm bust up

Broiler grower Paul Stephens says Red Tractor has turned into a “dictatorial quango” as he continues to resist efforts to divide his business into two separate units for auditing purposes.

Mr Stephens’ grievance stems from the fact that his three broiler units at Moor Farm, Highdale Farm and Fosters Wold Farm, near Malton in North Yorkshire, have been treated as one unit by Red Tractor auditors SAI Global since 2018, incurring minimal non-conformities over that time.

See also: Red Tractor pledges major reform after farmer backlash

But just over a year ago, following a change of personnel, he was told that Red Tractor wanted to split the holding in two, with two separate membership numbers requiring two separate audits.

Geographically, the three sites, which house 140,000, 60,000 and 100,000 birds, respectively, form a triangle on Mr Stephens’ 358ha arable holding, with a separation of about 1,500m between each one.

Red Tractor now wants to count Moor Farm and Highdale Farm as one unit, and Fosters Wold Farm as a second unit.

Fosters Wold Farm © Paul Stephens

Reasons given

The initial reason given was that the units involve two separate bio-secure areas.

Red Tractor subsequently pointed to the fact the three farms have separate County Parish Holding numbers, the distance between each site, and the fact there are two environmental permits.

Mr Stephens disputes the logic of these claims, saying none of them are specifically mentioned in Red Tractor rules or standards.

“All three are run as one operation and they all come under one partnership,” he told Farmers Weekly.

“The birds from all three units are ‘all in, all out’, going across our single weighbridge, on the same day, to the same processor.

“The Red Tractor paperwork is all in one folder and the financial side is in one set of accounts, with a single VAT number. Record keeping, feed ordering, depletion, cleaning out – everything is unified.”

Mr Stephens adds that everyone else is happy with the sites being treated as one, including the vet, the processor, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

“Whether we have one Red Tractor membership to cover our seven sheds, or one for each shed, the birds won’t be a jot different,” he added.

Double the cost

But splitting the business into two for Red Tractor purposes will involve double the red tape and double the cost, says Mr Stephens, and flies in the face of everything that has been said following the recent independent review of farm quality assurance.

“Red Tractor has gone red tape mad, despite saying in a recent bulletin that they plan to cut down on audits, improve efficiency and listen to farmers more,” he said.

“By splitting our farm, Red Tractor will do none of these things and are being incredibly hypocritical.”

Response

This is denied by Red Tractor, which insists it is taking great care “to ensure that our requirements are applied consistently to all members”.

“Rules around defining farm sites are in place to uphold our robust standards, and protect animal health, which is particularly important in poultry production,” said a spokesman.

“These rules are reliably and fairly applied to all our poultry members, which help ensure consistent assessments by auditors and fees charged to the member by certification bodies.

“We fully recognise that all farms are different and that frustrations can arise, which is why we are working directly with this individual to resolve the matter.

“Our goal is to ensure that members feel heard, involved, and supported, whilst maintaining the integrity and value of the Red Tractor Poultry Scheme for the whole industry.”