The independent review of UK farm to fork assurance schemes is gathering pace, with the probe’s commissioners urging food sector stakeholders to have their say on the future of assurance before 15 September.
Commissioned by AHDB, the NFU and its equivalents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the industry-wide review is examining topics such as how farm assurance can better deliver value to scheme members, and whether standards have developed to meet the evolving needs of members and the markets they serve.
Other areas to be examined include the need for simplification, how assurance scheme members are engaged and how standards are developed, plus how businesses are audited and how technology is used, in addition to how schemes interact with regulators and government.
The review’s farmer survey will conclude at the end of August, having attracted more than 3,000 responses. The commission has also undertaken more than 100 separate interviews with industry stakeholders.
Lead commissioner David Llewellyn, the former vice chancellor of Harper Adams University, said the probe was also keen to encourage as many people and organisations as possible – particularly beyond the farmgate – to engage with the review’s open consultation before its 15 September deadline.
“We’ve been out and about and talking to people and listening to what they’re saying,” Llewellyn said.
“This review is looking at over a dozen farm assurance schemes, the future of farm assurance and how it might be, if necessary, repurposed for from the modern world,” he added. “And in that sense, we’re also trying to look at ways in which it might be improved from the lens of the primary producer.”
To access this call for evidence, email: uk-farm-assurance-review@genusplc.com . The commission is expected to report back with recommendations by the end of the year.
The review follows a separate probe of Red Tractor for the NFU following the controversy around its launch of the Greener Farms Commitment last autumn.
The retailer-led, sustainability-focused module came under fire from within the farming sector over its failure to consult with Red Tractor members – prompting many to question the future of the scheme.
That review, run by consultancy Campbell Tickell, found the farm assurance scheme was “sound” in February. However, Red Tractor ultimately ditched the GFC module, apologised to members and stressed it would “only be involved in future environmental standards when all constituencies across the UK food and farming chain, by sector, ask us to and with full consultation”.
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