A review into the governance of Red Tractor has found that the assurance body followed the agreed governance pathway to arrive at the Greener Farms Commitment (GFC) module, but needs to make a sustained effort to communicate its purpose and engage further with scheme members.
The review, carried out by consultants Campbell Tickell following concerns from the NFU Council about the GFC, was published on Monday.
It aimed to assess Red Tractor’s decision-making procedures and transparency, as well as the processes that go into consultation, the development of standards and engagement with stakeholders.
The GFC, which proved hugely controversial due to a perceived lack of consultation among farmers and questions over who would pay for the extra requirements, was found to fall ‘full-square’ into Red Tractor’s standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.
The report noted, however, that the pressures surrounding the GFC rollout were the most difficult the company ever faced, balancing the needs of consumers, retailers, processors, farmers and government.
See also: NFU clarifies position on Red Tractor Greener Farm Module
Red Tractor was found to have sound governance and there were no unlawful breaches, but the report laid out how some members felt unclear as to what their roles in the organisation were.
Some members also said that they found Red Tractor to have a ‘closed, top-down and controlling culture…having lost touch with farming communities’. While levels of transparency in Red Tractor were very high, the complexities of the structures and schemes which it handles sometimes led to less clarity through over-explanation.
The report calls for Red Tractor, alongside governance changes, to make a sustained effort to communicate its purpose and engage further with scheme members.
The report set out future recommendations for Red Tractor, namely to create a governance Handbook and board member code of conduct, to clear up uncertainty in job roles and ensuring members ‘united around common purposes’ and ‘behave accordingly’.
It said increasing communication and relations should be a top priority was in, extending resources to farmers as soon as is practical, alongside reviewing the Red Tractor risk map so that it stays relevant in an ever-changing climate.
Red Tractor Chair, Christine Tacon said: “The review reports that ‘Red Tractor governance is sound’ and Campbell Tickell have found ‘no procedural breach’.
“It also flags that ‘Red Tractor is perhaps significantly more transparent than other assurance schemes’ and acknowledges that this, together with its representative structure, leads to governance complexity. Red Tractor needs to respond to this, particularly given the current pressure of a challenging operating environment.
“The review sends a clear message about the level of frustration farmers feel and we need to listen carefully to their views. We will also continue to increase our efforts and investment in communicating Red Tractor’s purpose and benefits to farmer members.
“We now have an essential opportunity to reflect and refresh the way Red Tractor delivers its role for all stakeholders across the entire food chain. Over the coming weeks, Red Tractor’s AFS Board will consider the Review in full before agreeing next steps and how these will be implemented.”
The report highlighted that this review was limited to Red Tractor’s governance, but said the wider review about to take place into farm assurance would address other issues raised by Red Tractor members, including around its handling of the GFC.
