Red Tractor has completed a review of its assurance standards with the aim of making farm audits more streamlined, and says changes will reduce time spent on inspections for scheme participants. The revision process covered the UK-wide dairy standard and the beef and lamb standard in England, and is now the subject of a farmer consultation ahead of implementation next year.
What the review changed
The review was carried out by the technical committees that set scheme standards. Red Tractor said the UK-wide dairy scheme requirements have been reduced by a quarter and the English beef and lamb scheme requirements are down by a third. The dairy technical advisory committee comprises 18 members representing farming unions, dairy processors and retailers and spent an extensive period scrutinising every line of the standards.
“We have gone through every single line of those standards over the last year. We have spent over 1,000 hours collectively going through this. It has been painstaking,” said committee chair Amy Jackson
Red Tractor chief executive Paul McLaughlin said the exercise focussed on justifying the need for each requirement and that, while farmers’ outcome obligations have largely remained the same, the audit process has been changed to shorten inspection times.
“What farmers will be required to do from an outcome point of view hasn’t changed very much, but the audit process has changed quite a bit. It should reduce inspection times,” said Paul McLaughlin
Duplication, outdated points and technology
Committee members said much of the reduction came from removing overlap and repetition in the standards, though not from wholesale removal of requirements deemed still relevant. Ms Jackson acknowledged there remained material that could not be removed because it continues to be pertinent to assurance outcomes.
Red Tractor also signalled plans to make greater use of technology to accelerate audits. The organisation intends to upgrade its online portal so paperwork can be submitted in advance and issues flagged before inspections.
- committee time: more than 1,000 hours spent reviewing standards
- dairy: requirements reduced by 25%
- beef and lamb (England): requirements reduced by 33%
| scheme | reported reduction |
|---|---|
| UK-wide dairy | reduced by a quarter |
| England beef and lamb | reduced by a third |
The revised standards are being consulted on with farmers before the changes take effect next year, giving scheme participants the opportunity to feed back on proposed amendments to auditing and record-keeping. Red Tractor said that improvements to the portal aim to allow paperwork to be uploaded at any time and to make the system “more intelligent” so issues can be highlighted ahead of inspections.
For farmers and those advising them, the consultation window will be the point at which details of specific audit changes, permitted evidence and digital processes become clear.
