Little Red Tractor to fly the flag?

THE LITTLE Red Tractor logo is being redesigned and could soon incorporate the Union flag, it has emerged.

David Clarke, chief executive of Assured Food Standards, told FARMERS WEEKLY that AFS is trying to redesign the logo to give it more impact.

Although he refused to clarify exactly what the changes might involve, he indicated the revamp could introduce a flag into the design.

Mr Clarke said incorporating a flag would clear up any confusion about the country of origin of food carrying the logo, as it did not appear on any imported product.

He also suggested that the logo‘s wording – “British Farm Standard” – could change to reflect the fact that assured standards extend all the way along the supply chain.

“We think the Red Tractor is itself very impactful but the words British Farm Standard are a bit of an anachronism. The word ‘farm‘ undersells what it is about,” he said.

Mr Clarke said AFS was taking legal advice on the acceptability of changing the logo, but he said he hoped a new version could be unveiled to the industry in a matter of weeks.

But he insisted that changing the design was in no way an admission that the existing version of the logo had failed.

“It is not a failure – it is on close to £5bn worth of produce. And when asked last year, 35% of consumers said they recognised it.”