Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley to step down in six months

Red Tractor chief executive Jim Moseley has announced he will retire from the role in April 2026, ending what will be a nine-year stint in the job.

Prior to that, Mr Moseley was chairman of Red Tractor, but switched role in May 2017 when the previous incumbent, David Clarke, retired.

During his time in office, Mr Moseley has overseen a review of Red Tractor standards and helped drive various marketing campaigns aimed at raising consumer awareness of the Red Tractor brand.

See also: Sack the board, if you sack me, says Red Tractor boss

But he also became embroiled in the row over the proposed “greener farm commitment” (GFC) – a voluntary environmental module that was intended to help supermarkets identify those farmers who might meet their sustainability objectives.

The uproar from farmers, who feared the scheme would become compulsory and that they would not be paid for reaching higher environmental standards, led to the scheme being scrapped and a complete review of Red Tractor governance.

Calls to resign 

Mr Moseley came in for a lot of criticism for his role in developing the proposed module, and faced calls to resign – though he insisted the GFC was a group decision, not a personal one.

At a poultry conference in early 2024 he said board members bore equal responsibility.

“I’ll be honest with you,” he said. “If the principle is the wrong thing, then the board should be sacked because it was a board decision and I and the Red Tractor team are trying to deliver. Plus, the fact is I am a way off retirement age.”

That was 18 months ago, though Mr Moseley says now is the right time to take a step back “to enable more personal time”.

“I will leave Red Tractor in a strong position to support the future of British food and farming, with a board, a leadership team and tremendous employees who have the skills, knowledge, experience and dedication to carry Red Tractor forward,” he said.

“Assurance is not an easy occupation, but the team at Red Tractor deliver their roles with huge professionalism and extraordinary resilience,” he added.

Extraordinary contribution

Alistair Mackintosh, current chair of Red Tractor, said Mr Moseley had made “an extraordinary contribution” to Red Tractor and British food and farming.

“Consumer trust in British food is at record levels, as are the number of retailers, caterers and brands relying on Red Tractor assurance,” he said.

“The influence that Red Tractor has in securing markets and demand for British produce should not be underestimated. Jim will leave an organisation which is highly motivated, financially sound and well governed.”

Mr Moseley, whose career has included spells with FMC (Meat), Tulip and General Mills, as well as presiding over both the Food & Drink Federation and the Provision Trade Federation, will stay in post until April next year, while the process of finding a new chief executive is executed.