Opinion: Time for Red Tractor inspectors to look beyond their clipboards

And so my letter to Red Tractor began… “To whom, I believe, it should concern,” I wrote.

“Please think outside the prescribed audit boxes for a few minutes to consider my compliance with a balanced view.”

Persuasive writing this was not, but at least I was getting ratty in the right direction…

See also: Red Tractor pushes ahead with tiered outdoor pig standards

Now, I have been an advocate of Red Tractor for many years. Any visiting under-10s, and many over-10s, leave my kitchen with a Red Tractor sticker on their jumper.

Being part of a movement that promotes produce, grown and processed on British soil, really appeals to me – and I would happily keep paying into the scheme if the value was realised at my end.

However, in recent years the increasing cost of membership, the cost of engaging third parties to reproduce documents so the auditor can tick their boxes, and the cost of my time on inspection day is causing me to feel very short-changed.

And that is for a relatively small beef and lamb holding. Goodness knows what exacting hoops businesses with multiple enterprises have to jump through.

Standards

I understand that an audit is in place to objectify standards as far as possible.

But I do not agree that the only evidence accepted to prove a standard has been reached can be found on a tick sheet.

Come on. The approved auditing inspector has unlimited access to the farm and office for half a day; it is therefore frustrating that a call is not based on what they see in front of them.

Instead, it seems like they eschew responsibility and hide behind a clipboard, thus cultivating a blame culture.

This is indicative of how far the Red Tractor has driven away from the working field and into an office block. In farming, if you get something wrong, which we all do, you hold your hand up.

There is always something new to discover and mistakes to learn from. This is a strength in our industry.

Public trust 

My understanding is that, back in 2000, Red Tractor was formed to “rebuild public trust in the food produced by British farmers in the wake of damaging food scares”. Great idea. It served that purpose at the time.

Decades on and layers of bureaucracy later, it has developed into a different vehicle that does not look like a little red tractor anymore.

No wonder the majority of the Great British public do not understand or recognise the logo.

Perhaps we should trade it in for a different vehicle altogether.

The Union flag is a symbol that the consumer recognises.

Perhaps Red Tractor resources could be redirected to ensure that any product on the shelf that sports the nation’s flag are produced, processed and packaged in this country.

Or it could oversee a scheme ensuring unsold British produce is not wasted, but rerouted to a food bank. Engaging in seasonal promotion of British food when it is produced in this country would also help.

There will be several more ideas, and no doubt some better ones, that could be swiftly passed back to HQ if Red Tractor encouraged their auditors to be in listening mode on inspection day.

My letter finished with an open invitation to Red Tractor to visit my farm to talk about all this. I wonder if I will have cause to put the kettle on? I hope so, but I doubt it.